Anti-CAA protest marks tipping point of anger against BJP: Karti Chidambaram

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Friday said that country-wide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have marked the "tipping point of the angst built up over various issues" since the BJP government came to power.

In an open letter, the Congress leader said: "This protest is not just about the CAA and NRC anymore. It marks the tipping point of all the angst that has been built up over various issues since this [BJP] government came into power barely six months ago -- polarising politics, ongoing human rights violation on Kashmir, temple, downturn of the economy, language and cultural imposition and more recently the police brutality."

He also said that the government's insecurity was "exposed" as it chose to respond to unarmed and peaceful protestors with the brutal police force. Wide-spread demonstrations against the recently amended Citizenship Act have shaken the country in the past few weeks. 

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Anti-CAA protest

The Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill on December 11, following which widespread protest began opposing the Act. The protest took a violent turn after clashes between Delhi Police and Jamia Millia Islamia University students.

While students allege that Police used brutal force against them, Police allege that students were stone-pelting. Following this incident on December 15, the nationwide protest began against the implementation of CAA and Police brutality.

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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday while addressing a public rally at New Delhi's Ram Lila Maidan said that there has been no discussion on NRC and that those opposing CAA must first read it.

This remark by the prime minister comes even as Home Minister Amit Shah has on several occasions, including in a speech in Rajya Sabha has spoken about a pan-India NRC. BJP, meanwhile, has planned an outreach program from January 1 to January 15 to clear the air on myths surrounding CAA. 

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What is the CAA?

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. There have been a series of protests against this legislation across the country.

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(With inputs from ANI)