CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar issued a Bihar Bandh call for Thursday and warned the central government on the CAA and NRC, saying that if the Modi-led government did not consider them citizens, then they did not consider them to be the government.
According to The Indian Express, Kumar addressed a huge crowd in Purnia and asked students to stay calm and protest ‘peacefully and firmly’.
If you do not consider us citizens, we do not consider you the government. You may well have a majority in Parliament; we have the majority on the street. This fight is not about Hindus or Muslims…We do not want a country of Savarkar but of Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Ambedkar. They want Ashfaq and Bismil to fight, (but) we will not let that happen.
Kumar got the crowd to respond to his slogan of ‘azaadi’ and said people needed freedom from the BJP and the Sangh.
The Prime Minister said he could understand protesters from their body language, but let me tell the PM that we read his mind very well. We are not going to show you any papers but will tell the people about the rising prices of onions and other important public issues.
According to reports, the gathering had students from Seemanchal districts of Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj in Bihar who were there to protest against the NRC.