New Delhi: Speaking at Lucknow rally, Union home minister Amit Shah Tuesday dared the opposition to continue their protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act as he emphasised the legislation will not be revoked.
The home minister also called Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav for a public debate on the citizenship act during a rally in Lucknow.
“The anti-CAA parties are spreading propaganda and spreading illusions that’s why the BJP is running the Jan Jagran Abhiyan, which is a public awareness campaign against those who break the country,” Amit Shah said.
The minister reiterated that there is no provision for taking the citizenship of anyone anywhere under CAA and rather people will be given India’s citizenship.
“I have introduced this bill in the Lok Sabha. I want to tell the opposition that you should discuss this bill publicly. If it can take citizenship of any person, then prove it and show it,” he said.
His rally comes even as the protest led by women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) entered its fifth day.
Police have booked 16 women and more than 100 unidentified persons, including two daughters of poet Munawwar Rana, in connection with the anti-CAA protest at Clock Tower in Chowk area of the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Other than Shah’s rally, other BJP leaders are also scheduled to address people in UP. Newly-elected BJP chief JP Nadda will be in Agra on Thursday to drum up support for the recent amendment in the act.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, both former BJP chiefs, will be also holding rallies in UP. Ahead of the rally, the police took out a flag mark at Clock Tower, the point where women are protesting but the efforts to pacify the protestors went in vain.
The protest spread to Ujariaon area of Gomti Nagar where more than 15 women staged a sit-in near a dargah, holding placards with anti-CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) slogans.