Sonia Gandhi And Rahul Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Read Constitution At Protest

Congress said there is resentment against BJP government’s decision on citizenship law

New Delhi:

Top Congress leaders, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh read out the preamble to the Constitution on Monday as the party held a protest at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Raj Ghat in Delhi against the citizenship law.

The Congress “Satyagraha”, which also featured chief ministers like Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh) and Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), called for the protection of fundamental rights in the Constitution.

“A teary eyed mother in Bijnor said ‘my son died for his country’. In the names of people who died in this revolution, in Bijnor, a man whose five children are waiting for him while he is lying injured in hospital, in their names we promise we will protect the Constitution,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said at Raj Ghat.

The Congress said there is widespread resentment against the BJP government’s decision, with people across the country, especially the youth, protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that, for the first time, makes religion the test of citizenship in India.

The government says it will help minorities from the Muslim-dominated countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to get citizenship if they fled to India before 2015 because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principals of the constitution.

The Congress has also backed students protesting against the BJP government and denounced the use of “indiscriminate police force” against ordinary citizens in the name of maintaining law and order.

Earlier today, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked young people to join the protest and read out the Constitution.

“Dear Students and youth of India, it’s not good enough just to feel India. At times like these, it’s critical to show that you’re India and won’t allow India to be destroyed by hatred. Join me today at 3 p.m. at Rajghat, to protest against the hate and violence unleashed on India by Modi-Shah,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in the morning.

Priyanka Gandhi also tweeted saying the country is a shared relationship and a shared dream.

“The Constitution is our power. We have to save the country from the politics of divide and rule. Come, be a part of the reading of the Constitution text with me…” she tweeted in Hindi.