Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Allahabad on Saturday but did not meet the women on dharna at the city’s Mansoor Ali Park who had requested he address them and clear what the Centre says are protesters’ misconceptions about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
“We had written to the Prime Minister’s Office requesting Modi sit with the mothers and sisters at Mansoor Park, have tea with us and clear our doubts if he honestly believes that the CAA, NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register) are not anti-Muslim. But we got no reply. Modi came to Allahabad today but left without meeting us,” one of the protesting women told local reporters in the afternoon.
“The Prime Minister is known for his Mann Ki Baat radio programme. He is known for doing Chai Pe Charcha. But he is afraid to discuss his own government’s decisions with us.”
The women’s dharna entered the 49th day on Saturday.
“We have heard BJP leaders claim that Modi believes we will run out of steam if ignored long enough and withdraw our protest,” the woman said.
“It’s because of this that the Modi government’s ministers have stayed away from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, Ghanta Ghar in Lucknow and Mansoor Ali Park in Allahabad. Modi doesn’t think he is our Prime Minister. We want to tell them that our dharna will continue until Modi comes here and explains everything to us, or we throw him out of power in the next election.”
Modi didn’t mention the protest in his speech but claimed that his government was working for everyone.
“It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure justice and well-being for every citizen. This is the meaning of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ (Support of all, development of all),” he said.
At his lone programme during his one-hour visit, the Prime Minister distributed equipment such as tricycles, hearing aids and electronic sticks among the differently abled.
From Allahabad, Modi flew to Chitrakoot and laid the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway in village Gonda. The 296km expressway will pass through Banda, Hamirpur and Jalone before merging with the Agra Expressway in Etawah district.
Modi said the four-lane highway would help farmers prosper.