Guj: Pro-CAA rally in Surat, CM to attend Ahmedabad event

Seeking to counter protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in various of the country, Gujarat BJP leaders and government functionaries are taking part in rallies in support of the new law across all 33 districts of the state on Tuesday.

The rallies and demonstrations law are being organised by 'Nagrik Samitis' (citizen committees) having support of the RSS.

In Surat, Gujarat Forest minister Ganpat Vasava and a large number of residents took part in a demonstration held near the collector's office and extended their support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Surat MP Darshana Jardosh and local MLAs Purnesh Modi and Vivek Patel also participated in the demonstration in support of the new law, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees who came to India before December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

"Though CAA is in the interest of the nation and its people, the opposition Congress is misguiding people by distorting facts. To counter that false propaganda, the Nagrik Samiti has organised this huge rally. As you can see, people have come here in large numbers to support the new law," Purnesh Modi said.

Several other state BJP leaders are slated to take part in similar events on Tuesday across all the 33 districts, the party said in a release.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja would attend a rally at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Ashram in the evening in support of the new law.

Other ministers and senior BJP leaders will remain present at different events during the day, the release said.