JAIPUR: In Kota, the coaching hub of the country, the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has turned into another Shaheen Bagh.
Battering the biting cold, women in Kota’s Kishorepura Idgah area have been holding an indefinite dharna (sit-in protest) against the CAA-NRC for the past nine days.
Hundreds of women gathered here with placards, posters and banners to lodge their protest against the contentious law.
The protest that has been continuing from quite some days now, witnesses women from all localities of the city who assemble at the spot especially during the evening hours.
Interestingly, the spot in Kishorepura Idgah is in close proximity to the residence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is the MP from Kota.
Inspired by Shaheen Bagh, people from the neighbourhood provide food and blankets as a mark of their support to the protestors.
Shifa Khalid, the convenor of the sit-in at Kota said: “A lot of elderly women have also joined our protest and we all raise slogans to register our opposition to the CAA and the proposed NRC. The new law is a black law which goes against the spirit of our Constitution. Instead of providing our kids with jobs or taking care of the economy, the central government wants to bring this divisive law which will ruin poor people in our country. ”
“Women in Kota got inspired by the protesters of Shaheen Bagh. Our sit-in is also indefinite,” she added.
All through the day, people from various NGOs and citizens groups in Kota come to lend their support including the city Qazi who came a few days back, in turn also attracting Abid Kagzi, the state President of the Minorities Wing in the Rajasthan Congress.
From the very beginning, Kota has seen massive protests against the CAA-NRC by the minority groups and initially the city Qazi had held a huge rally in the city.
As they continue their indefinite vigil, most women say their family members take care of their home and kids these days so that they can come to protest against the recently passed law.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot who has been strongly opposing CAA announced that Rajasthan will not implement the act.
He even led the biggest anti-CAA rally held in Jaipur on 22nd December called the 'Samvidhan Bachao rally'.
Now after Kerala and Punjab, Rajasthan is all set to become the third state to pass a resolution in the assembly against CAA.
A special session of the assembly has been called on January 24.
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi will also hold a public rally in Jaipur on January 28 addressing issues like CAA, NRC, inflation and unemployment.