CAA is communal, says former Guv Aziz Qureshi

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is communal, said former Governor Aziz Qureshi here on Thursday.

Qureshi, who came here to support women protesting against CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at the historic Clock Tower here, said: "Why is this law being brought? This (CAA) is communal. This country does not need anything on the basis of religion. People here need employment. People here need justice against injustice," he added.

"I have come in support of these women. I have come against this brute government. This government is in the hands of the impotent people, who use the wrong language against women like it was used in Delhi and here in Lucknow," said Qureshi while addressing the protestors.

The newly enacted law is facing stiff opposition across the country with some states including Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Punjab refusing to implement the law there.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.