Jamia students say not convinced by PM's assurances on NRC, CAA

As the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and a proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens entered its eighth day on Monday at Jamia Millia Islamia, agitating students said they were not convinced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurances on NRC and CAA.

Students from several schools in Noornagar, Batla House and Okhla also attended the protests.

Advocate Nadeem Khan, while addressing protestors, said the prime minister says there has not been any discussion on NRC and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the NRC will be applied across the country.

"I think they are at loggerheads on NRC. There are no political parties behind these protests. This is a citizens' movement that has gained momentum due to the injustice of the duo," he said.

Maskoor Ahmed Usmani, former president of AMUSU, said, "This is not a protest, now it has become an uprising. This country has only one religion and that is secularism. The PM and HM of this country are scared and therefore they have cancelled rallies, visits of foreign delegations and engaged police forces violently. The PM spoke for 50 minutes on CAA during his poll rally when he chooses to remain mum on burning issues of the country."
Gauhati High Court Advocate A A Tapadar told students, "I am coming from Assam and I know what NRC is. My state has seen the practice of NRC and struggle of this law. Citizens in Assam have been struggling since 1970s over citizenship issue. We are fighting in the Supreme Court against that and when one case is already going on how can the HM come up with a new law? The PM lied that there are no detention centres in this country, whereas Assam has detention centres all across the state."