DMK Chief MK Stalin leads statewide protests against CAA in Tamil Nadu

DMK President MK Stalin along with party workers staged a protest in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, December 17, condemning the recently passed controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) last week. Calling for a state-wide protest, the party supremo urged all party members to participate against the Centre's decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). In a speech that lasted over 30 minutes, Stalin launched scathing attacks on the BJP and questioned the real "motives" behind the Bill, calling it "ghastly" and "unconstitutional".

'CAA unconstitutional and stifles rights of minorities and Sri Lankan Tamils'

Read | DMK stages protest against CAA in Tamil Nadu, demands inclusion of Sri Lankan Tamils 

 Image courtesy: @arivalayam, Twitter

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"We have stood by all parties in the Centre, when the objective is right, supported the right schemes and helped pioneer welfare programs for all minority communities, regardless of religion. But the Centre's abhorring Bill is written with an agenda to create disharmony among the people".

"In one of the most peaceful states in the country, we are getting detained by police every day for protesting for the rights of the people. AIADMK government has betrayed the people of Tamil Nadu and by extension letting down the entire nation by supporting this Bill. What about the plight of Sri Lankan refugees now? Those who have been and are still being persecuted across the border? What about Muslims and religious minorities who are already living in fear because of the BJP?"

"The BJP was elected to power with a monstrous victory in 2019 based on lies and deceit. The AIADMK similarly made empty promises and never fulfilled them and only continues to increase communal tensions". 

In the protest that was attended by seemingly thousands of people, Stalin claimed both AIADMK and the BJP as parties whose policies are taking the country backwards, owing to its fiercely prejudiced views on all subjects, including the lives of religious minorities and Sri Lankan Tamils.

Read | AIADMK tears into DMK over CAB, dubs rival 'servile' to Congress

Udhayanidhi Stalin detained by police for staging protest in Chennai

Notably, the DMK has been staging regular protests all over the state, since December 13. MK Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, a popular actor in the Tamil film industry and party's Youth Wing Secretary was also seen participating in the demonstrations. However, the protest did not last long as along with other people who gathered on Friday, December 13, the budding leader was also detained by the police, who claimed that the protest led to creating a traffic jam in Chennai. The actor was also seen tearing copies of the CAB during the protest and called for its ban. He stated that it was "against minorities and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees".

 Image courtesy: @arivalayam, Twitter

MK Stalin, and Parliamentarians Kanimozhi and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran and district secretaries fanned out across the state to stage protests, making up a total of 36 demonstrations in Tamil Nadu since the Bill was passed on December 11.

CAB 2019, was passed by the Lok Sabha first on Monday, December 9 and then by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, December 11. Notably, the citizenship law will grant Indian citizenship to immigrants of faiths other than Islam from the three neighbouring countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) on the ground that they came to India due to religious persecution because they are minorities.

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