TMC, BSP, AAP to skip opposition meeting over CAA, NRC, JNU violence

A meeting of opposition parties led by Congress will be held on Monday afternoon to discuss the current political situation in the country.

Chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the meeting will have discussions on several topics including the ongoing student protests, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR), among others. The members will also discuss the police action against protesters and students during the protests.

Many parties, such as TMC, BSP, and the AAP have decided to skip the meeting. 

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, has said that she will not attend the meeting to mark her protest against the violence unleashed by the Congress and Left parties in the state during last week's general strike. 

"What happened yesterday in the state (during the labour strike) -- it is no more possible for me to attend the meeting anymore. I was the first to launch an andolan (movement) against CAA, NRC," she said. "What the Left and the Congress are doing in the name of the CAA-NRC is not a movement but vandalism," she had said last week.

BSP chief Mayawati will also skip the meeting due to its differences with Congress. In a series of tweets, the party leader said that the Rajasthan Congress Government broke the BSP MLAs for the second time and invited them to their own party, which is completely unfaithful. She however added that her party his against CAA and NRC and urged the Centre to withdraw it.

3. वैसे भी बीएसपी CAA/NRC आदि के विरोध में है। केन्द्र सरकार से पुनः अपील है कि वह इस विभाजनकारी व असंवैधानिक कानून को वापिस ले। साथ ही, JNU व अन्य शिक्षण संस्थानों में भी छात्रों का राजनीतिकरण करना यह अति-दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण। 3/3

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) January 13, 2020

The Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party will also skip the meeting.

Last month, opposition leader met President Ram Nath Kovind and lodged their protest over the police action against students during CAA agitation.