NEW DELHI: Congress Core Group is slated to meet at the residence of party's interim president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. According to reports, the meeting is due to begin around 4:30 pm.
During the meeting, the party leaders are likely to discuss the crackdown on the anti-CAA protesters across the country. The meeting has been called a day after Sonia Gandhi attacked the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of "brutal repression" against students, youth and citizens protesting against the Citizenship law.
In a video message, Sonia said that the legislation was "discriminatory" and the proposed nationwide NRC will particularly hurt the poor and vulnerable.
"The Citizenship Amendment Act is discriminatory and the proposed nationwide NRC will particularly hurt the poor and vulnerable. Like at the time of `notebandi` (demonetisation), they will have to stand in line to prove their and their ancestors` citizenship," she said.
Gandhi said the people`s apprehensions were real and legitimate and the struggle against the legislation was "just."
The Congress chief accused the BJP-led government of pursuing "divisive, anti-people" policies. A meeting of Congress core group was held on December 19 over the same issue.
Protests erupted across the country over the amended Citizenship Act, which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
