Won't join Opposition delegation on CAA issue: Shiv Sena

Nagpur: Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday likened the police crackdown on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Nevertheless, Sena MP Sanjay Raut indicated that his party would not join the delegation of Opposition parties that would meet the PM on the CAA issue. “We don’t know about the meeting. The Sena is not part of the Opposition delegation,” he said. The CM will take a decision on the CAA in the cabinet meeting, Mr Raut said, adding, “But I don’t think it will be implemented immediately in the state.”

Speaking outside the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, the chief minister said, “An atmosphere of fear is being created in the minds of the youth of the country with such actions. There is a deliberate attempt to create an atmosphere of unrest in society. The way the police opened fire on students by forcibly entering the compound, it appeared like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre,”

No country whose youth is disturbed can remain stable, he said and asked the Centre not to destabilise the country’s youth. “Youth is like a bomb which should not be triggered. It is my humble request to the Prime Minister,” he urged.

On protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mr Thackeray said, “The state is peaceful so far.”

On Sunday, the Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi virtually turned into a battlefield after the police entered the campus and used force, following protests against the CAA.

Meanwhile, Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, slammed the chief minister saying that he had reached extreme levels of compromise.

“The comparison of the Jamia Millia incident with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre is an insult to the martyrs who dedicated their lives to the country. Mr Thackeray should reply as to whether he agrees with the slogans given at the university,” he said.