A father and son, both of who voted for the BJP in the 2014 elections, walked in a rally to oppose the NRC, the CAA and the NPR — organised by some former students of South Point on Saturday.
Atin Dutta and son Adhiraj said they “regretted” their decision to vote for Narendra Modi-led BJP despite being warned by some friends.
“My father and I voted for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. We thought the party would bring many economic reforms if they came to power. Our friends had then told us that we would later realise the consequence of voting for a right wing party like the BJP,” said Adhiraj, a former South Pointer who jointly manages the family business with his father.
“Today, we regret voting for the BJP. They have made the economy worse and are adopting such divisive policies,” his father who wrote the Madhyamik from the school in 1982 said.
The protest rally held under the banner “concerned South Point alumni and friends” was to start from Deshapriya Park.
Another rally, by Artistes Unite, an association of actors and actresses, musicians, filmmakers and theatre activists, was supposed to start around the same place.
The Telegraph
The two rallies were planned separately but eventually merged and walked together as both were walking against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.
“When we found that the artistes were organising the rally for the same cause, both groups decided we should walk together and raise our voices,” Tamali Chaudhuri, one of the organisers of the South Point rally, said. Tamali, who took the Madhamik exams in 1985, said the proposal to organise a protest was floated on a Facebook page of former students of the school. “Initially, we were not sure about organising the rally, but the response was so good that we decided to do a march,” Tamali who was at the rally with her mother Sripurna Chaudhuri, who taught in South Point, said.
The march by close to 500 people started from Deshapriya Park and went through Rashbehari AvenueSP Mukherjee Road crossing, Mudiali and ended at Menoka cinema. The national anthem and We Shall Overcome were sung before the start of the rally.
Slogans like Hum Kya Chahte? Aazaadi rang in the air. Posters and banners quoting lines of defiance were carried. One such banner read: Kagoj ami dekhabo na/Adhikar aami chharbo na (I will not show my papers/ I will not give up my rights). Another read: Dhormer beshe moho jare eshe dhore/andho se jon mare ar sudhu mawre (He who is blinded by religion/Kills and ends up being killed).
Among those who walked was writer Antara Dev Sen, daughter of Amartya Sen and Nabaneeta Dev Sen, and an alumna of South Point. Music composer Debojyoti Mishra and actress Saayoni Ghosh and Anirban Bhattacharya took part in the march.
Many had the Tricolour.
Saayoni said she had wanted to walk in a rally against the CAA-NRC-NPR but acting assignments had kept her busy. “When I got to know of the rally by Artistes Unite, I immediately blocked the date because I wanted to be in the rally,” she said.
