New Delhi: Expressing happiness at being included in TIME magazine's list of top 100 most influential personalities in the world, Shaheen Bagh's 82-year-old protester Bilkis 'dadi' said the focus should now be to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Bilkis said, "I am feeling very happy. I could have never imagined that I would have reached so high."
On being questioned about the future of the anti-CAA protests, Bilkis said that currently, the battle against Coronavirus is paramount.
"For now, we have to fight against COVID-19. Only after the COVID threat goes away, will we be able to talk about the protests," she said.
The 82-year-old, who had shot into the limelight last year during the months-long anti-citizenship law protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, was recognised by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2020.
Also on TIME magazine's list from India were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana.
Bilkis congratulated the Prime Minister for the recognition, and said he was like her son.
"He (Modi) is like my son. I did not give him birth, but it was a sister who did so. I thank them (TIME) for including his name in the list," Bilkis added.
Read: Shaheen Bagh protester elated over TIME recognition
Bilkis, who emerged as the face of the NRC-CAA protests, originally hails from Hapur. Her husband died nearly 11 years back. At present, she lives in Shaheen Bagh with her sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren.
About the protests, Bilkis said she received ample support from her family, and would spend almost her entire day at the protest site.
"I have only read the Quran and never went to school. I used to do my prayers and sit at the protest site at 8 am, and used to stay there past midnight, sometimes till 2 am," she said.
During the protest, which began in December, the octogenarian sat under a tent with hundreds of women and children, braving icy winds. She emerged as the face of the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.
The protest at Shaheen Bagh ended in March this year in view of the COVID-19 outbreak and a subsequent lockdown announced by the government to contain the spread of the disease.
