In a series of tweets, the CPI(M) General Secretary said those arguing that the CAA cannot be questioned because it had been endorsed by Parliament must also remember that the Emergency too had been cleared by Parliament.

Equating the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to the opposition to the Emergency in 1975, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury recalled that despite Emergency having been approved by Parliament, his party had chosen to oppose it and said the mere fact that the CAA had been passed by Parliament doesn’t change the party’s stand.

In a series of tweets, Mr. Yechury said those arguing that the CAA cannot be questioned because it had been endorsed by Parliament must also remember that the Emergency too had been cleared by Parliament.

“While we opposed it, fought and restored democracy, some belonging to the present ruling party also joined. Were they wrong then? Government must listen to the people and take back CAA, NRC & NPR,” Mr. Yechury tweeted.

The CPI(M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) are set to hold a strategy meeting on Wednesday to discuss the current political situation and the Left’s role in it. They will also be discussing on how to take forward the protests.

“We opposed CAA in Parliament. We moved for saying yes to persecuted persons, from all neighbouring countries, of any religion. What we opposed in Parliament will also be opposed on the streets. That’s democracy,” he said. Mr. Yechury added that the “divide and rule” policy practised by the BJP and the RSS was aimed at dividing Indians on the basis of clothes, food, gender, faith and other fault lines they created. “But what unites India more now is the damaged economy: BJP’s assault on lives and livelihoods,” he said.

Human chain on Thursday

Meanwhile, the Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan, a platform of 109 organisations of which a majority are left leaning, is organising a human chain on Thursday in the Capital. The human chain will start from Raj Ghat and link people standing at Shanthivan, Hanuman Mandir, Lal Qila, Jama Masjid, Golcha and Delhi Gate back to protesters at Raj Ghat. People from all walks of life including workers, students, teachers, women, youth, farmers, traders, scientists, advocates, doctors and journalists will join the human chain, starting at 3.30 p.m.