JOIN USOver 70 student and youth organisations across the country joined hands on Tuesday under an umbrella body to intensify the ongoing protest against the contentious citizenship law and the proposed nationwide NRC and updating of the National Population Register (NPR).
On New Year's Day, members of the National Young India Co-ordination and Campaign and those supporting the movement will take a pledge to save the Constitution and have also coined a slogan: "New Year's Resolution -- Defend Constitution".
Addressing a press conference here, they demanded withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act before the upcoming 71st Republic Day.
"We had over 50 organisations supporting us when we did the press release for the launch of National Young India Co-ordination and Campaign. Now the number is 70 and counting," said N Sai Balaji, member of the Young India National Coordination Committee (YINCC).
"Our purpose is to develop the coordination between protesting students/organisations/unions on a national scale and enhance its scope and impact," the former Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union president said.
The organisation supporting the movement includes FTII students' union, Pune; Bhil Pradesh Vidhyarthi Morcha, Rajasthan; Ashoka University student government, Delhi; Democratic Students Organisation, Punjab; Bhim Army, All Adivasi Assam students' union and IIT Gandhinagar students among others.
YINCC member Kawalpreet Kaur underlined that their movement would continue till the Centre rolled back the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
"We should all remember that it was the student community, be it Jamia Millia Islamia or Aligarh Muslim University, that came out first to protest against the CAA and NRC," Kaur said.
"And now we all coming together today to tell the government that we have and we will always stand for country's Constitution and its secularism," she added.