JEJAA to Organise Human Chain on January 30 as Protest Against Attack on Constitution

Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan (JEJAA), a platform of more than 100 progressive organisations, will organise a human chain across the country on January 30 as part of ongoing agitation against the attack on constitution and democracy through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

The human chain, which is scheduled to be formed on 72nd Martyrdom Day of M K Gandhi, by the constituent organisations of JEJAA aims at exposing “the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s communal agenda of forming a Hindu Rashtra (nation)” to save secular fabric of the country.

“We are basically trying to observe the martyrdom day in a way that we can actually remember that Gandhi was killed by Hindu supremacists—the ones who today are trying to destroy our Constitution and divide people on the basis of what we eat, what we wear, what we believe, etc.,” said Kavita Krishnan, coordination committee member of JEJAA, while speaking to NewsClick.

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“The CAA, NRC and NPR make every citizen, especially the poor, vulnerable to the government’s high-handedness because the government can brand you as ‘doubtful’ arbitrarily. If you are eating flattened rice, you are doubtful; if you are speaking Bengali, you are doubtful. If you are not saying bharat mata ki jai (Hail Mother India) or jai sriram (Hail Lord Ram), you are doubtful. It is not just about religion,” Kavita added.

The human chain is a part of an ongoing campaign and mobilisation that is also trying to raise issues like growing unemployment and state-sponsored attacks on students and commercialisation of education. It also demands that privatisation of PSUs and basic services be stopped.

“We are also asking what is the point of spending thousands of crores of rupees on NPR and NRC when the whole country is against it? It should instead be spent on public healthcare and education and other demands of the people.”

Earlier, on January 23—birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose—JEJAA organisations observed Democracy Day when it organised public meetings at block and sub-division level. Again, on January 26, the Republic Day was observed as the ‘Save Constitution Day’ and preamble of the Constitution was read in the mass meetings at district level.

Read more: 'BJP is Trying to Hide its Failures by Making CAA-NRC an Issue'

JEJAA, as a platform, represent more than 20 crore members including workers, peasants, students, youths, women, Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, cultural activists, intellectuals and progressive individuals.

“This is the time that all should stand together to protect the Constitution and ethos of India. We know the elections are scheduled to take place in Delhi, but we want all to come together on a single platform, keeping aside political considerations,” said Krishna Prasad, one of the coordination committee members of JEJAA.

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