Published 20:01 IST, December 19th 2019
CAA: Priyanka targets Centre over restrictions, says voice of people cannot be silenced
The Congress also accused the central government of muzzling the voice of the people through "draconian measures" such as shutting of internet services
In the wake of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, December 19 slammed the BJP-led government over restrictions on the metro and prohibitory orders in some parts of the city, asserting that the “voice of people cannot be silenced by force.”
"Metro Station is closed. The Internet is closed. Section 144 is imposed everywhere. There is no place to raise your voice. Those who have today spent crores of rupees of tax payer's money on advertisements to make people understand, they are so baffled by people's voice that they are suppressing it. But, they should know this, the more the voice is suppressed, the louder it will be," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.
The Congress also accused the central government of muzzling the voice of the people through "draconian measures" such as shutting of internet services and imposing prohibitory orders. The Congress said the BJP should be ashamed of this as it is the democratic right of every Indian to protest.
Condemning the BJP, Gandhi in a series of tweets said if people are pushed to the wall, they will rise up stronger.
"The voice of a people cannot be silenced by force. Every time force is applied to dominate and rule, every time you beat and suppress, every time you push people to the wall, they will rise up stronger, their resolve will strengthen and their voice will grow louder... Our freedom movement was proof of this, our constitution is the guarantor of it and our people are the souls of it," she said later in tweets in English.
Gandhi's reaction came hours after Section 144 was imposed in parts of north-east Delhi and Red Fort area to maintain law and order hours after a request by a Swaraj Abhiyan for a peaceful march from Red Fort area to Shaheed Park, ITO against the CAA was denied by the police for today.
Protests have been held in Delhi over CAA, which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
The Congress leader on Wednesday, December 18 launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi while campaigning in Jharkhand. She asked questions to the Prime Minister on the economic slowdown, Citizenship Act, National Register of Citizenship and alleged assaults on women in different parts of the country.
(With inputs from ANI)
Updated 23:55 IST, December 19th 2019