Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, joined the Mumbai Bagh protest on Thursday, even as political parties who were earlier aligned with it withdrew their support.
The protest, which is being conducted on the lines of the Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, started on the night of January 26 and has been going strong. Political leaders, including Naseem Siddiqui of the Nationalist Congress Party, had on Monday held a meeting with State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, and decided to call off the protest by 5 p.m. on Thursday. However, the protesters, mostly women, have decided to stay put.
Mr. Gandhi, who reached Mumbai Bagh around 4 p.m., expressed full support to the protest. “No revolution ever began with legal permission. This is a movement of the women of the city, and it will continue if they want it to. They are fighting not just for Maharashtra but for the country. If the authorities use force against them, they will have to use force against me as well,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Siddiqui had reiterated his stand at a press conference at Sahil Hotel in Mumbai Central. “Every protest is time bound. There remains no reason to continue the protest when its objective has been achieved. Mr. Deshmukh assured the us in writing that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens will not be implemented in Maharashtra. Even Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has stated the same, saying that these laws will not only affect the Muslims, but also the Hindus of the country,” he said, adding that the convening committee will distance itself from the protest after 5 p.m.
Several protesters, however, did not even consider the meeting to be valid. Gitika Lohani (26), a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, said, “The meeting with Mr. Deshmukh was dominated by local politicians and women did not get proper representation. We can not rely on something written on a piece of paper along with the Minister’s signature. The State needs to take a firm step like Kerala and Punjab have.”
Jennifer Mirza (57), wife of filmmaker Saeed Mirza, said, “Despite all the allegations, you can tell that these are not women of any political party. They are upset women and even if they don’t understand the letters ‘CAA’, we all know it’s anti-minority. A BJP member said the protests are exploiting innocent and ignorant women, but this is not true. They are well-informed. It’s violence to call a woman ignorant just because she doesn’t have a degree.”
The protesters were also unwilling to shift to Jhula Maidan in Byculla, which was one of the venues suggested by Mr. Siddiqui. “Jhula Maidan is a playground and we do not wish to take away the children’s play area,” Juveriya Khan said.
Activist and student leader Umar Khalid, too, was present at the protest. “No one has the right to bargain on your behalf. Some other leaders going to the government and calling it off is not fair. This is a people’s movement. Also, there should be a clear directive from the State on the NPR. Till that happens, this protest will continue,” he said.