Cong, oppn 'patrons' of anti-CAA protesters: BJP Minister

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey on Monday described the Congress and the opposition parties as "patrons" for supporting the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) protest and accused them of misleading the minority community.

Speaking to reporters here in Parliament, Choubey said, "I am telling you, they are the patrons. The Congress, the AAP and the opposition parties have brought the rented people on streets who have been holding a protest for a long time."

Describing the blocking of the Shaheen Bagh road for over last one and half month, Choubey said, it is "unconstitutional".

Choubey was responding to a question over senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid chanting along with a toddler 'Azadi' slogans at an anti-CAA and NRC protest outside Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday.

Slamming the protesters in Shaheen Bagh area, the BJP leader said, "Blocking a road is unconstitutional. They (Congress and other opposition parties) don't belive on constitution and they have broken constitution on number of times."

"They are misleading the Muslims on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). We have brought the CAA for the migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have been facing atrocities there," the Minister added.

Earlier in the day, making a significant observation on Shaheen Bagh protests, the Supreme Court, said "You can't block public roads indefinitely", and the "protests can't continue like this on public places".

The Supreme Court observations came on the petition filed by advocate Amit Sahni seeking directions to the authorities to remove the blockade on the Shaheen Bagh stretch, a main road connecting Kalindi Kunj and Noida.

The top Court has also taken suo motu cognizance on the death of a four-month-old, said how could an infant go to protest at Shaheen Bagh, and also how could mothers support this.

The apex court has taken cognizance of a letter by a 12-yr-old national bravery award winner, who wrote to the Chief Justice following the death of a 4-month-old infant allegedly due to exposure to cold as he was taken to the venue of the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh.-IANS