Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said that there was no place for violence in any kind of protest or ‘dharna’.
In a statement released in Lucknow on Friday, Mayawati said that vandalism witnessed during protests in Lucknow and Sambhal was not acceptable in a civilised society. She stressed that nobody had the right to damage public property.
The BSP chief added that her party had always opposed Citizenship (Amendment) Act but unlike others, they did not believe in destroying public property or indulging in violence.
Mayawati said, “I appeal to people in my party that in the present emergency-like situation, they should not hit the streets, rather find other ways to oppose.”
She exhorted party workers to express their opposition to the CAA through posts and mails and by handing over memorandum to officials concerned instead of taking to the streets and protesting.
A BSP delegation also met President Ram Nath Kovind over the CAA and the violence that ensued over the issue. The BSP delegation led by party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra sought a judicial inquiry into Sunday’s violence at Jamia Millia Islamia and withdrawal of the contentious law.
Meanwhile, UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu also condemned the violence that erupted during protest against the CAA and the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and urged for peaceful demonstrations.
“The state government has failed to check violence in the state. The Congress has always believed in peace and harmony and is against any kind of violence in society, Lallu asserted.