Bhubaneswar: Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in the national capital, said that the Citizenship law and NRC will not affect any Indian citizen of any religion in the country, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were held in several parts of Odisha on Monday.
Members of Anjuman-e-Islamia launched a protest in Khurda. They took out a rally from near the Khurda new bus stand to the district collectorate office demanding withdrawal of CAA. The protestors also expressed disappointment over the ruling-BJD's support to CAA.
"Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is now opposing the NRC but why did he support the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the parliament? Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patnaik is equally responsible for the present situation," said Abdul Wari, a member of the organisation.
Similarly, members of the youth and student wings of Odisha Congress staged protests in front of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar today. They also blocked the road in front of the varsity by burning tyres and also set effigies of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah ablaze as a mark of protest. Vehicular movement between Acharya Vihar and Rasulgarh was disrupted for a few hours due to the protest.
"The present government at the Centre is anti-national. To hide its fault and weaknesses, the BJP passed the anti-constitutional bill. Besides, it is suppressing the voices of students and the common man at gunpoint when they are raising their voice against the CAA and NRC," said Manoj Biswal, convenor of the student wing of Congress' Odisha unit.
If the government will not repeal the law, Congress will intensify its protest across the country, he added.