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New Delhi, Jan. 13 (PTI): Opposition parties, led by the Congress, demanded on Monday that the amended Citizenship Act should be withdrawn and the process of NPR immediately stopped, asserting that it was all part of an "unconstitutional package" that targeted poor people, SC/STs and minorities.
The assertion was made after a meeting of the Opposition, convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, during which the leaders of 20 parties deliberated on the current political situation in the country, following widespread protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the violence on campuses.
Significantly, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) stayed away from the meeting.
"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 resolution adopted by the parties said.
"The NPR is the basis for the NRC. We demand the withdrawal of the CAA and the immediate stoppage of the nationwide NRC/NPR," it added.
Those chief ministers who have announced that they will not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in their states must consider to suspend the National Population Register (NPR) enumeration also as it is a prelude to the NRC, it said.
Must have made Pakistan happy—BJP
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 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 convened by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi). The resolution is neither in national interest nor in the interest of security. It is also not in the interest of those minorities who fled neighbouring countries to escape persecution," Prasad told reporters.
Opposition parties, led by the Congress, adopted a resolution on Monday, demanding that the amended Citizenship Act be withdrawn and the process of NPR immediately stopped and asserting that it was all part of an "unconstitutional package" that targeted poor people, SC/STs and minorities.