New Delhi/IBNS: Congress' attempt to unite the opposition over citizenship law and National Register of Citizens received a set back after the major opposition parties distanced themselves from a meeting called by it today.
Trinamool Congress, BSP, Shiv Sena, DMK and the Samajwadi Party skipped the meet, while Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party said it was not even invited.
The meeting, convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was attended by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja. Besides, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present, NDTV reported.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the opposition unity stood exposed as major major parties like SP, BSP, TMC and AAP from the meeting.
"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 was quoted by NDTV. He alleged that Congress had joined Urban Maoists and Naxalites.
DMK skipped the meeting over its differences with Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu, the news organisation reported.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had declared absence from the meet following clashes between her party activists and Congress and Left workers during last week's trade union strike.
BSP chief Mayawati has been at loggerheads with Congress after all the six MLAs in Rajasthan defected to Congress last September.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.