Arvind Kejriwal bats for jobs, development; says India will not progress through CAA, NRC

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a gathering at town hall event moderated by Times Now, said that CAA and NRC are mere distracters used by the current government to draw attention from real issues of employment and economic growth.

"This country will progress when there will be upliftment in academics and medical facilities. The country will have no growth through NRC and CAA, which have brought to divide the nation", he said.

Kejriwal also spoke about the ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh.

When asked why he was not seen at Shaheen Bagh protests, he said, " My presence will not put a lid on NRC-CAA. If it would have helped, I would have not let it extend more than 5 minutes. If the Centre abolishes CAA and NRC then not just in Shaheen Bagh but people protesting across the nation, will return to their homes".

Kejriwal also said the Right to Protest peacefully is an assured under Article 19 of the constitution, adding that it should not cause any "inconvenience" to others.

The protest at Shaheen Bagh began with the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December last year and the ensuing police intervention against students at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University on December 15. Growing in size by the day, it has now become the longest ongoing protest against CAA-NRC-NPR, triggering similar movements in different parts of the country, from Kolkata to Prayagraj to Bhopal and Pune and more.

CAA aims to protect religiously persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan by giving them Indian Citizenship. The cut-off date for those to be given citizenship in India has been fixed at, on or before 31st December 2014.

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