TMC, BSP, SP, DMK skip Oppn meeting on CAA
   Date :14-Jan-2020
TMC BSP SP DMK skip Oppn
 
NEW DELHI :
 
THE meeting, convened by the Congress against the controvercial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saw chinks in the Opposition ranks with leaders of about 20 political parties attending it but six major parties --Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena -- choosing to stay away. Stating that the “spirit of resistance has awoken”, Opposition parties on Monday called for repealing the Citizenship Amendment Act and “immediate stoppage of the NRC/NPR” on grounds that the “package” is unconstitutional and targets the poor and downtrodden.
 
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the JMM and LJD chief Sharad Yadav were among those who attended the meeting. While Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said that the protests against the CAA and the NRC reflect widespread frustration and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of diverting attention from real issues such as the economy, her son Rahul Gandhi challenged the Prime Minister to visit any of the troubled campuses and speak on what he is going to do for the country.
 
“The CAA, NPR and NRC is a package that is unconstitutional, which specifically targets the poor, the downtrodden, the SC/STs and the linguistic and religious minorities. The NPR is the basis for the NRC. We demand the withdrawal of the CAA and the immediate stoppage of the nationwide NRC/NPR,” stated the joint resolution adopted at the meeting. It said all Chief Ministers who have announced they will not implement the National Register of Citizens in their state must also consider suspend the National Population Register enumeration which was a prelude.
 
The resolution also listed three dates -- Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary on January 23, Republic Day on January 26 and Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day on January 30 -- on which to peacefully and appropriately defend the Constitution and safeguard the secular democratic republic. “A spirit of resistance has awoken. We urgent every fellow Indian to strengthen this spirit by joining in solidarity to observe January 23 is the birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,” the resolution said.
 
 
Oppn’s resolution must have made Pak happy: BJP
 
NEW DELHI :
 
THE Opposition’s resolution against the amended citizenship law must have made Pakistan happy, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Monday, while asserting that the legislation was a chance to expose Islamabad’s “barbaric treatment” of minorities. He also said that the Opposition ended up “unnecessarily” attacking the Modi Government in the process. Taking a dig at the Opposition, the Union Law Minister said their unity stood “exposed”. “Opposition unity stands exposed as major parties like SP, BSP, TMC and AAP kept away (from a meeting),” Prasad told reporters.