Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered’ last week to talk to the protesters sitting-in at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The offer popped up during a TV programme. To that extent, the offer was not official’ but Amit Shah was categorical when he said he will give time within three days to any protester wanting to discuss issues related to the CAA with him.

This talk offer from Amit Shah saw a number of anti-CAA protesters including those sitting in at Shaheen Bagh undertake a march towards the home minister’s official residence at Krishna Menon Marg in New Delhi. But they were stopped by police before they could reach Amit Shah’s residence.

Police cited security reasons for not allowing a large number of protesters to undertake the march to Amit Shah's residence. As the group of Shaheen Bagh protesters includes elderly women as well as young children, it would be difficult to ensure their safety and security in such a march. Only a delegation can be allowed to meet Amit Shah.

The fact that anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh has been leaderless with a coordination committee where voices have been divergent in the past, makes it a tough task for the protesters to agree on who will represent them.

Earlier, one of the most active Shaheen Bagh protesters Sharjeel Imam had called off the anti-CAA protest in the heart of the national capital in early January. Sharjeel Imam announced this via social media posts but this was fiercely contested by the women who began the sit-in at Shaheen Bagh. A coordination committee was formalised hurriedly and it decided that the anti-CAA protest would continue till their demands are met.

Sharjeel Imam was later booked under various charges including sedition for his speech delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) at an anti-CAA protest event. But since his call-off announcement was denounced by the Shaheen Bagh protesters, no one person or an identified set of persons has emerged as the leader of the anti-CAA agitators.

The question then is: Who will meet Amit Shah to discuss the grievances of the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh?

A group of elderly protesters, called the Dadis of Shaheen Bagh, have been at the forefront. They were the ones who held talks with the Delhi Police on Sunday after the protesters were stopped from marching to Amit Shah’s residence.

However, it has emerged that Dadis may not be the only protesters to meet Amit Shah, if at all such a meeting takes place.

Further, similar protests are being held in different parts of the country, from Assam to Maharashtra. The question that also then arises is can Shaheen Bagh be held as the sole representative of all anti-CAA protests? Protesters in Assam certainly have different set of grievances.

Meanwhile, media reports say the protesters are in a huddle to decide who should make it to the delegation meeting Amit Shah with the demands of the protesters. So far, the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh have put forth three key demands.

To withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Act

To de-link National Population Register (NPR) with any exercise for preparing a National Register of Citizens (NRC)

To shelve proposed NRC project

Amit Shah might well be prepared to answer these questions to any person or delegation of anti-CAA protesters from Shaheen Bagh though without a guarantee of satisfying them. Amit Shah has already answered these questions in Parliament and in his public speeches. Statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a conclusive policy view of the government on these questions.

Both Amit Shah and PM Modi who said it as late as Sunday have made it clear that the government will not roll back the CAA arguing that it does not affect Indian Muslims.

The Shaheen Bagh delegation is likely to raise the pitch of the CAA being in contravention to Articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution. But Amit Shah had told Parliament that he had taken legal advice on the constitutionality of the CAA. Ideally, this question can only be settled in the Supreme Court, which is already seized with a bunch of petitions in this regard.

On NPR-NRC, the Modi government has updated its standard operating procedure (SOP) making it voluntary to show proof of nationality or sharing Aadhaar details with the enumerators. Kaaghaz nahin dikhayenge (we will not show papers) slogan of Shaheen Bagh has already had its impact.

On a pan-India NRC, days after Amit Shah’s assertion in Parliament, PM Modi overruled him in a public speech saying the government has not discussed any such proposal. Later, the home ministry told Parliament the same in a written reply.

On the other hand, Amit Shah might too have a few questions for the protesters if his public speeches since the enactment of the CAA are any indication. Is the protest is exclusively because of exclusion of Muslims?

Amit Shah had previously said the exclusion was decided on the ground that the three targeted countries are theocratic Islamic states. It is in this context that he and other BJP leaders have created a loyalty to nation versus religion debate in public space. Social media messages originating in various right wing think tanks and outfits are being extensively circulated with this pitch.

This and similar other questions pit the protesters in contest with Amit Shah in their much anticipated meeting. Statements by some of the protesters from Shaheen Bagh too signal a confrontational approach than actually seeking redress of the grievances over the CAA.

We don't have any doubt about the CAA. We don't need any explanation or clarification on it. We are only going to meet Amit Shah to teach him the Constitution," news agency PTI quoted one protesters as saying after their bid to meet Amit Shah on Sunday failed.

This keeps the two sides on collision course as they have been since mid-December last year. But if no resolution is found in the Shah-Shaheen Bagh talks, the home minister might well emerge as the political gainer in this battle of narratives over the CAA.