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Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday wrapped up a five hour-long protest meet against the new citizenship law at Rajghat with a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of destroying the economy and trying to spread hatred and break the country.
“What our enemies could not do for decades, Narendra Modi has done that in six years. You could not provide jobs, destroyed the economy and stalled our progress that is why you are hiding behind hate,” he told the gathering at Delhi’s Rajghat.
The protest meeting at Rajghat was an effort by the Congress to replicate Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of non-violent resistance by organising a ‘Satyagraha’ at his memorial to express solidarity with the youth and students protesting against the new citizenship law and the proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The main opposition party stepped up its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed pan-India exercise to register the country’s citizens on the lines of Assam, protesting against the police “atrocities” on the youth at the same time demanding protection of the rights of people as enshrined in the Constitution.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ex-party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh (Kamal Nath) and Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot), Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jyotiraditya Scindia were among the senior leaders who participated in the “Satyagraha for Unity”.
The leaders read out the Preamble to the Constitution as part of the programme. Boxer Vijender Singh was also present.
“You have been taught by your organisation how to break the country and spread hatred. You are number one in doing so. Country will not let you attack Constitution, suppress voice of ‘Bharat Mata’,” Rahul Gandhi said, attacking the Prime Minister.
Earlier, Congress members observed a one-minute silence in memory of those killed during the protests over CAA and NRC and also against the BJP-led government’s “anti-people” policies.
Some religious leaders were also present at the ‘Satyagraha’ held amid singing of bhajans (devotional songs).
Later addressing the gathering, Priyanka Gandhi said her party resolved to protect the Constitution in the name of all those “martyred” during the protests.
“In the name of Bijnor’s 22-year-old Anas, who used to earn money for his family through a coffee-vending machine and had recently gotten married. In the name of 21-year-old Suleiman, who was studying for the UPSC exam and used to take tuition,” she said.
“In the names of all the children who have been martyred in this movement, in the name of Bijnor’s Omraj Saini, whose five children are waiting for him and he is in the hospital, injured. In their names, we resolve today that we will protect the Constitution and will not allow it to be destroyed,” she said.
Both Nath and Gehlot asserted that they will not implement CAA and NRC in their respective states. So did, Chhattisgarh minister TS Singh Deo on behalf of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Congress minister in Maharashtra Balasaheb Thorat on behalf of the Shiv Sena-led coalition government.
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