Goa student's anti-CAA speech triggers political war; Congress jumps to seize initiative

A speech by a school student condemning Citizenship Amendment Act at a function organised by Goa government's Education Department on Thursday has triggered a political war in coastal state. In her four-minute-long speech on Thursday, Diksha Talaulikar, a class eight student of Maria Bombi High School at Cuncolim in South Goa, said that CAA amounts to murder of Constitution and its values.

' country is burning'

"And today this bill discriminates m (Muslims), thus making a mockery of my fundamental duty to promote harmony and spirit of common brorhood among people transcending religion, region and linguistic diversities. country is burning. soul of Constitution, Preamble, liberty, equality and fraternity has been murdered," student said in her speech in presence of Goa vocate General Devidas Pangam at National Institute of Oceagraphy auditorium near Panaji.

speech me on January 16, in presence of nearly 400 hes of educational institutions, went viral on WhatsApp on Friday. "Shattered as I see young students and citizens, who are mostly Hindus, protesting to clarify Indian Citizenship Amendment bill 2019, that has been passed by Parliament which has murdered Constitution that upheld right to equality, thus discriminating our Muslim brors and sisters who are me to feel different in this country. Did t our Muslim brors sacrifice to give us freedom that we enjoy today?" Talaulikar also said.

"Are t secular ideas of our Constitution makers destroyed? My dear friends, most of Constitution makers in Assembly were Hindus. But y never thought of breaking secular fabric of India. Today, for sake of greed to remain in power ideologies are imposed on citizens," she also said in her speech.

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Congress in a sarcastic statement said Goa Education Director Vandana Rao, who was co-organiser of event aimed to celebrate 70th anniversary of option of Constitution, should teach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah "a thing or two about Constitution". Reacting to speech former BJP MLA and close aide of former Chief Minister, late Mahar Parrikar, Sidharth Kuncalienkar tweeted that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should "act sternly in matter."

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(With ncy inputs)