Bollywood actress Pooja Bhatt on Monday said that opposition is the greatest form of patriotism and asserted that students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) are giving the message that the ruling party has actually united us.

Pooja Bhatt was among a host of noted personalities who spoke at a conference that was organised against CAA and NRC. The event in Colaba, South Mumbai by the Parcham Foundation and We The People of Maharashtra. The event was held to demand that the state government clears its stand on passing the resolution against the CAA-NRC-NPR within 30 days.

“Our silence will not save us and neither will the government. The government has actually united us. Students, who are protesting against CAA-NRC, are giving us the message that it’s time to raise our voices. We will not stop until we are heard loud and clear. Dissent is the greatest form of patriotism. I don’t support CAA and NRC as it divides my house,” Pooja said at the conference.

“I think students have given us a message to wake up, get up and speak up because to speak with silence when we should protest is what makes cowards out of men and the time has come to raise our voices.”

Pooja Bhatt

Other celebrities who have been raising their voices against the act are Ali Fazal, Anubhav Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Farhan Akhtar, Naseeruddin Shah, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, Taapsee Pannu, Vishal Bharadwaj, Vishal Dadlani and Zoya Akhtar among others.