India’s Fight Against NPR, NRC, CAA Goes On

People’s Unity Conference in Bhojpur

Addressing the conference, Insaf Manch National Convener and CPIML CC member Comrade Salim said that in any democracy the people elect a government, but the CAA-NRC-NPR Sanghi project will give the government freedom to choose the people according to its whims and fancies. This is a fascist project and will not be allowed in a democracy. He said that Modi-Shah are telling layer upon layer of lies, and the greatest lie is that CAA-NRC-NPR are not linked to each other. The whole package is a conspiracy to choose citizens who will vote for them and to put those who will not vote for them in the list of ‘doubtful citizens’. There will be opportunity for humungous corruption for a cruel and corrupt bureaucracy. All common people will be affected by this process, especially dalits, poor, and deprived sections. They will be kept out of the citizenship list just as they are kept out of BPL and ration lists, and then they will be exploited like slaves and deprived of citizens’ rights. He said that NPR should be stopped immediately because that will become the primary data for NRC. He further said that the government wants to suppress democratic voices through repression, arrests and false cases but this will not succeed. The more repressive and violent the government gets, the stronger will be the protests.

RYA National President Manoj Manzil said that Nitish claims to protect constitutional and secular values but his hypocrisy and hollowness have been thoroughly exposed. CAA-NRC-NPR is a package and Nitish Kumar cannot pretend to oppose NRC while he supports CAA and remains silent on NRC. The people of Bihar want an answer from him as to why he voted for CAA in Parliament. Instead of passing a resolution in the Bihar Assembly against CAA-NRC-NPR, the Nitish government is unleashing brutal repression on protesters on the lines of the Uttar Pradesh government.

The conference was also addressed by Insaf Manch State Secretary Qayamuddin Ansari, Ram Chhapit ram, Raghuvar Paswan, Mumtaz Ansari, Manzoor Saheb and Ameen Bharti. Leaders and activists from CPIML, Imsaf Manch, RYA, AISA, SB College students’ union leaders, and village Mukhiya Kalavati Devi were present at the conference.

Save the Constitution Rally in Madhubani

A ‘Save the Constitution’ rally was organized on the occasion of the 6th Madhubani District Conference on 18 January 2020. Addressing the rally, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that Modi-Shah’s agenda is to destroy the Constitution and impose fascist Sanghi-Hitler rule in India. With this agenda they have brought CAA-NRC-NPR but the people will not allow them to change the Constitution and to choose who will be a citizen and who will not. Protests are taking place across the country led by students, youth, minorities and women. Shaheen Bagh has spread to every corner of the country. The PM and HM are afraid of going to Assam, Bengal and other states. The people have understood the malicious intent of NRC; the Assam NRC is a disaster which has snatched away the citizenship of 19 lakh people out of whom most are Hindus and 55,000 migrant families from Bihar are also included in this. He said that Nitish Kumar should stop his deceitful games and immediately stop NPR in Bihar. The economy of the country is in a shambles, workers’ rights are being snatched away and ASHAs and Rasoiyas are being made to work without wages. The people will give a befitting reply by throwing out these anti-people governments at Delhi and Patna. The rally was also addressed by PB member and Mithilanchal in-charge Dhirendra Jha, District Secretary Dhruv Narayan Karn and leader of CPIML Legislative Party Mahboob Alam who said that an ultimatum has been given to the Bihar government to immediately stop NPR, otherwise face bigger and sharper protests.

Earlier, Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya met the protesters sitting on an indefinite Dharna in front of the Madhubani Collectorate and expressed solidarity with them.

Dharna against CAA in Haldwani

A massive dharna was organized in Buddha Park, Haldwani under the banner of Samvidhan Bachao Manch against the CAA-NRC-NPR package. Attended by a huge number of people, the dharna demanded that the Modi government should stop attacking the Constitution and revoke the CAA-NRC-NPR package.

Addressing the dharna, Raja Bahuguna said that the people of India have asserted their values and come out on the streets against the Sangh Parivar’s communal-fascist agenda. He said that we will not step back until the Central government revokes CAA and stops the NPR process due to start from 1 April. Syed Irfan Rasool said that the government’s duty is to solve the people’s problems but the Modi government has become the biggest problem for the people. Advocate Kailash Joshi said that the Modi government is brutally silencing all voices of dissent and murdering democracy; it is the duty of every democracy-loving citizen to protest against this government. GR Tamta pointed out that the architect of the Constitution Babasaheb Ambedkar had cautioned that to make India into a Hindu Rashtra would be equal to disaster. Councilor Shakeel Ansari said that the women of Shaheen Bagh have shown the way and now Shaheen Bagh has spread to all corners of India.

Samvidhan Bachao Jan Chetana Yatra attacked in Mewar

The Samvidhan Bachao Jan Chetana (People’s Consciousness for saving the Constitution) Yatra began in Mewar Division as scheduled on 19 January 2020 from the Shaheed Smarak at the Town Hall by paying tribute to martyrs. The aim of the Yatra is to heighten people’s consciousness about the anti-Constitution and anti-democratic character of CAA-NRC.

When the Yatra reached Bhatevar village crossroads at about 1 pm, some people threatened violence, tore banners and surrounded it, saying that they would not let it proceed. Despite this the Yatra proceeded and when it reached Kheroda Bus Stand it was again surrounded and threatened. They abused the protesters as ‘Pakistanis’ and removed the tricolor and tore the Preamble put up on the bonnet. They also tore pamphlets and parchas and attacked from behind with lathis.

The people in the Yatra then went to Udaipur Collectorate to demand legal action against this entire episode and action against the persons who insulted the national flag and the tore the Preamble of the Constitution. The Additional SP registered a case and assured that action would be taken.

CPIML leader Saurabh Naruka said that the BJP-RSS want to implement the two-nation theory of Jinnah-Savarkar through the communal CAA. They are following the British Raj trick of ‘divide and rule’. Rajesh Singhvi (CPM), Mohd Anees (Bahujan Kranti Morcha), Prof Hemchandra Chandaliya, Dinesh Dave and others also spoke on the occasion.

Notice of this Yatra with a route chart had already been given to the Collector’s office, Udaipur and to the Divisional Commissioner. Information has been received that Thana Officer Ranjit Singh has informed by telephone that a case has been registered, following up on the memorandum submitted to SP Udaipur on the attack on the Samvidhan Bachao Jan Chetana Yatra. The details are: FIR NO. 16/2020 and the sections under which the case is registered are Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act 1971, Section 143, 149, 341, 427 and 506 of IPC.

Save Constitution Campaign in Champaran

Western Champaran, the land of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha struggle, is vociferous in its protest against the anti-Constitution anti-democracy CAA-NRC-NPR. The protests in the District began with a rally on 23 December 2019 under the banner of Left parties at Chanpatiya, attended by people from all faiths. The Samvidhan Bachao Desh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti was constituted. A massive public meeting was held on 27 December at Betiya despite obstacles and attacks and appealed to the Supreme Court to take action to revoke the unconstitutional CAA. The meeting also demanded the shutting down of detention centers in Assam.

A huge rally was organized on 4 January 2020 at Sikta to demand withdrawal of CAA-NRC. Further, a Save the Constitution-Save the Country-Save Citizenship people’s unity conference was organized on 11 January at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Khel Maidan in Bairiya.

‘Hamari Aawaz’ Program at Muzaffarpur

A ‘Hamari Aawaz’ (People’s Voice) program was organized on 15 January at Mehdi Hasan Chowk under the banner of Insaf Manch, addressed by leaders including AIPWA Secretary Kavita Krishnan. Comrade Kavita pointed out that NPR-NRC-CAA affects not only Muslims but other people also, including dalits, adivasis and the poor. She added that Nitish Kumar must be pressurized into issuing a notification banning NPR, as NPR is the first step in the NPR-NRC-CAA ladder which threatens to strip the poor as well as other vulnerable sections of people, and Muslim minorities of citizenship. She said that the people have elected the government; the government cannot now be allowed to select the people and voters.

A large number of people, both men and women, attended the program addressed by Insaf Manch State Vice President Aftab Alam, Prof Aravind Kumar, Prof De, CPIML District Secretary Krishna Mohan and others.

Convention at Millat Colony, Patna

AIPWA and Insaf Manch organized a convention at Millat Colony in Patna at the behest of women from the colony. The convention discussed the divisive and communal CAA, women’s issues and their struggle for rights, and sang ‘Hum Dekhenge’, “Kagaz Nahin Dikhaenge’ and other songs. AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari said that this country belongs to the shared heritage of Fatima Shaikh, Savitribai Phule and Rani Laxmi Bai, and we will not allow fascist-communal people to break and divide us. The convention concluded with spirited slogans of ‘We shall fight; we shall win!’

Protest March at Naugachhiya

A protest march was organized at Naugachhiya Bazaar, Bhagalpur on 15 January 2020 against CAA-NRC-NPR led by District Secretary Bindeshwari Mandal, Block Secretary Ramdev Singh, Sitaram Rai (CPI) and Ajit Vidrohi (CPIM). The march traversed all the main roads of Naugachhiya and culminated in a meeting at Vaishali Chowk. A large number of people attended the protest march and meeting.

Indefinite Dharna in Begusarai

An indefinite dharna protest against CAA-NPR-NRC, under the banner of Ambedkar Sangharsh Vichar Manch is underway Ballia Lakhminiya Chowk in Begusarai. The protesters took the pledge that the dharna would continue until the government accedes to the demand of repealing CAA-NRC-NPR. Thousands of people from minority communities, dalits, women, secular parties, social activists and the poor have come together to give a befitting reply to the fascist repressive attacks by the Modi-Shah government and to condemn the brutal repression of peaceful democratic protests. Speakers at the dharna also demanded that Nitish-Modi government in Bihar must pass a resolution against the implementation of NPR in the State, else its talk of opposing the NRC is hypocritical.

CPIML State Committee member and District Secretary Diwakar, Ballia Block Secretary Noor Alam, Indradev Ram, AISA leaders Watan Kumar, Prashant Kashyap, Ajay Kumar and Abhishek Kumar shared the stage with the protesters to keep their morale high. The historic protest at Shaheen Bagh and other heroic protests across the country by youth, students, and intellectuals against state repression and fascism have become a source of inspiration to the people of India.

Massive Public Meeting at Darbhanga

A massive public meeting was organized on 15 January 2020 at Laheriyaserai in Darbhanga under the banner of the ‘Save Constitution-Save Democracy-Save the Country’ campaign. The meeting was addressed by CPIML PB member Kavita Krishnan, renowned poet Imran Pratapgarhi and Uroosa Arshi, a Kolkata-based poet, presided over by former Councilor Nafees Ul Haq Rinku and conducted by Riyaz Khan Qadri.

Comrade Kavita said that in a democracy the people of a country elect their government, but the Modi government and BJP are planning to select the people and tailor the voter-base through CAA-NRC-NPR. The people of the country will not tolerate this. She further said that this draconian regime will strip not only Muslims but also crores of dalits and poor of citizenship, turning them into stateless people at the mercy of the government. People across the country are united in their protest against this anti-Constitution, anti-democracy law and will not rest until it is repealed. She said that NPR is the first step in the NRC ladder and by implementing NPR in Bihar the Nitish government is carrying forward the BJP agenda. Instead of playing this double game, Nitish should refuse to implement NPR in Bihar.

Addressing the meeting, well-known poet Imran Pratapgarhi said that the government is bent on murdering the country’s democracy but the people of the country will unite across religions and castes and foil this evil intent. He saluted the protests going on across the country in the face of brutal state repression, and recited a poem in praise of the protesters, saying that one Shaheen Bagh would defeat the entire state machinery of the Modi government. Urusa Arshi from Kolkata said that the people of the country are saying loud and clear in one voice that they will not accept the draconian CAA-NRC-NPR and the Modi government must listen to the voice of the people and repeal this law or face even greater protests.

The meeting was addressed by leaders from many people’s organizations and parties and attended by large numbers of people from all sections of society.