The Congress-led Opposition meeting underway in New Delhi on Monday. (Express photo)

At a Congress-led meeting on Monday in the Parliament complex, 20 opposition parties passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and immediate stoppage of the nationwide National Population Register (NPR) exercise.

Calling the NPR a basis for the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), the resolution stated, "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."

"All the chief ministers, who have announced that they will not implement NRC in their State, must consider suspending the NPR enumeration as this is a prelude to NRC," it added.

Pointing to the economic crisis, the resolution stated instead of addressing these issues and providing relief to the people, the BJP government has embarked on a "dangerous course of sharpening communal polarisation".

At the meeting, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi said the Narendra Modi and Amit Shah-led government stood exposed for its inability to govern and provide security to people in the wake of widespread protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the violence on campuses.

"The nation watched in horror at BJP-orchestrated assault on JNU coming so soon after what happened in Jamia, BHU, Allahabad University and AMU and other institutions of higher learning. Modi-Shah govt stands exposed for its inability to govern and provide security to people," Gandhi said.

Gandhi said the government has let loose reign of oppression and is spreading hatred in order to divide people along sectarian lines. "There's unprecedented turmoil. The constitution is being undermined and instruments of governance being misused," she said.

Accusing the Prime Minister and Home Minister of misleading the nation on CAA and NRC, Gandhi said, "They have contradicted their own statements of only weeks ago, and continue with their provocative statements while remaining insensitive to the state suppression and violence that is increasingly becoming commonplace."

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Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi chaired the meeting attended by several opposition leaders. (Express photo)

After the meeting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the government is "dividing nation" to divert attention from the failing economy and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to go the universities and speak with the students on the state of economy and joblessness.

The meeting, which was convened by Gandhi, was attended by leaders of opposition parties like NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, 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.

BSP, AAP, TMC, and DMK however, stayed away. While BSP chief Mayawati said the meeting would "demoralise" her party workers, AAP and Sena said they had not received an invitation.

Taking to Twitter, Mayawati said her party workers were upset after the Congress in Rajasthan indulged in 'horse-trading' by getting BSP MLAs to join their party, following the election results.

She, however, made it clear that the BSP was opposed to the CAA and demanded that the government withdraw it.

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