NCP's Supriya Sule Leads Anti-CAA Protest In Agripada

Scores of women, led by NCP Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, staged an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest at Agripada near Mumbai Central here on Friday. CAA provides for granting citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who migrated to India before December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the NCP attacked former party member and BJP leader Udayanraje Bhosale for “not speaking” against the ruling party at the Centre amid a controversy over the book comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Maharashtra minister and NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said Bhosale, a direct descendant of the 17^th Century Maratha king, has left with no option “but to surrender before the BJP”.

Bhosale was an NCP Lok Sabha MP before crossing over to the BJP last year. He lost his Satara seat in the bypoll.

A book written by Delhi BJP functionary Jay Bhagwan Goyal, titled ‘Aaj Ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi’, has been criticised by Opposition parties as a sycophantic effort that demeans the legend of one of history’s most formidable empire builders.

Bhosale condemned the book and said nobody in the world can be compared with Chhatrapati Shivaji. In a veiled swipe at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, he said only the Maratha warrior king can be called ‘Janata Raja’ (enlightened king).

Hitting out, Malik said, “Udayanraje has no option but to surrender before the BJP after joining that party. He did not condemn Goyal nor did he speak against the BJP.”

Referring to Bhosale’s ‘Janata Raja’ remark, Malik claimed the phrase was being deliberately to divert attention from the original issue relating to the book.

He also said the NCP never used the phrase for Pawar, but it is the people who labelled the veteran leader so.