India Tomorrow

JAIPUR, FEBRUARY 15— Rajasthan Chief Minister  Ashok Gehlot on Friday evening made a surprise visit to the Jaipur’s ‘Shaheen Bagh’ where protests are going on against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Mr Gehlot said the Congress and the state government were with them and if needed, he would be the first to go to a detention centre.

The Chief Minister said information on birthplace of parents was being sought for the National Population Register (NPR). “If I am not able to furnish the details, I too would be asked to live in a detention centre. But stay assured, if such a situation comes then I would be the first to go there,” Gehlot told the protesters.

He demanded the NDA government to “reconsider the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which is against the spirit of the Constitution, and come forward to withdraw it so that peace and harmony can be maintained.”

“It is the right of a government to make a law, but a government should rule as per the sentiments of the people. Like Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, protests are being held at many places across the country, including Rajasthan. The government should understand public sentiments,” he said.

Several states including Rajasthan are against CAA and have passed resolutions in assemblies. Rajasthan Assembly passed the resolution against CAA on January 25. "We want the Centre to reconsider its decision,” he added.

He said the BJP government in Assam has refused to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

PM Modi had earlier said at an election rally in Delhi that there was no talk of a nationwide rollout of the NRC. "I want to tell the 130 crore citizens of India that since my government has come to power, since 2014, there has been no discussion on NRC anywhere. Only after the Supreme Court's order, this exercise was done for Assam," said the PM.

The comment by PM Modi was instantly compared with Mr Shah's multiple assertions in parliament and outside about NRC being applied to the "whole country". Even on November 20 last year, Mr Shah had said in parliament: "NRC will happen in the entire country and at that time this will be implemented in Assam as well. And I once again want to make it clear that people of any religion do not need to be scared."

Since CAA was passed by the Parliament on December 11 last year, there have been massive nationwide protests against this law and central government’s plans for conducting exercise for National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Like round-the-clock sit-in against CAA at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, more than 50 places, including 5 in Rajasthan, are holding such protests across the country.

Before Rajasthan CM Gehlot, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee have attended anti-CAA protests in their respective states.

Besides Kerala, Bengal and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Puducherry have also passed resolution against CAA.