Goa: Amid massive anti-CAA rally call, BJP chief says 'wrong to hold it on Maha Shivratri'

BJP Goa President Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Friday stated that it was wrong to hold an anti-CAA rally on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. In the massive protest rally which was scheduled for Friday, the Roman Catholic Church had also urged Catholics to participate in it. Speaking to a news agency, Tanavade said that since people visit temples on Maha Shivratri it is wrong to organise a rally and impede people from visiting the place of worship. 

The BJP state chief also expressed displeasure over Union Minister Piyush Goyal's remarks about Goa turning into a 'mini Portugal.' Union Minister of Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal while addressing the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) meeting in Mumbai on February 15 had said, "I believe if we were to work together to create a mini-Portugal in Goa, we could truly make it a preferred destination for visitors from around the world."

Sadanand Shet Tanavade said, that the party did not like what he said but also added that the Union Minister might have erred in the context of the phrase. Tanavade added that Goyal was speaking in terms of development so maybe what he was trying to say was in reference to development. 

READ | Goa BJP Chief Says Party Unhappy With Piyush Goyal's 'Mini-Portugal' Remark

Nationwide protests against citizenship laws

Protests against the newly amended Citizenship law, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries, have flared since December last year. The mood in the national capital has been tense ever since violence erupted in the Jamia Millia Islamia University on an earlier occasion. The protests spread nationwide following that incident.

READ | West Bengal BJP State President Dilip Ghosh Attends Pro-CAA Rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had stated that the law is required to help persecuted minorities who came to India before December 31, 2014, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, protestors insist the law discriminates against the country’s Muslim minority and violates India’s Constitution.

READ | JP Nadda Appoints New BJP State Chiefs In MP, Kerala & Sikkim Amid Poor Delhi Poll Results

What is CAA?

The Citizenship Amendment Act offers citizenship to Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi illegal immigrants who fled their home countries to escape religious persecution. It covers six minority religious groups, but not Islamic ones. The government has pointed out that the law won't take citizenship away from Indians, denied the charge that it is anti-Muslim, and promised to protect locals' rights in the Northeast, where there are fears of a threat to their social and cultural identity.

READ | As Non-BJP States Pass Anti-CAA Resolutions, Gujarat CM Rupani Enacts 'befitting Reply'