Sonia Gandhi accuses PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah of misleading people at opposition meet over CAA-NRC

Addressing a meeting of opposition leaders, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi said that the government has let loose a reign of oppression, it is spreading hatred and trying to divide people along sectarian lines.

Continuing her opposition against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Monday (January 13) slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah accusing them of misleading people on the CAA and the NRC.

Addressing a meeting of opposition leaders at Delhi, Sonia Gandhi said, "The government has let loose a reign of oppression, it is spreading hatred and trying to divide people along sectarian lines."

"Nation watched in horror at BJP-orchestrated assault on JNU after what happened in Jamia, BHU, Allahabad university and AMU: Sonia Gandhi," she added. The opposition leaders held a meeting in Parliament Annexe to hold discussions over the current political situation in the country following widespread protests against the new legislation and tension in campuses

The meeting was convened by Sonia Gandhi and was attended by leaders of opposition parties like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, Lok Janshakti Party (LJD) chief 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. Shiv Sena, BSP, AAP, DMK and TMC, however, did not attend the meeting.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is opposed to CAA and NRC, had stated earlier that TMC leaders will not attend the meeting over the "violence" by Congress and Left parties during a strike last week. 

BSP chief Mayawati decided to attend the meeting citing "betrayal" by the Congress in Rajasthan as the grand old party has poached BSP MLAs in the state. "As is known, despite BSP supporting Congress government in Rajasthan from outside, they broke our MLAs for a second time and inducted them in their own party, which is a complete betrayal," she tweeted.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that no one from his party attended the Opposition meeting as they were not informed about it."We have no information about any such meeting. So makes no sense to attend a meeting we have no information about it," Singh told ANI.