JDS calls NRC, CAA, against the 'ideas of Ambedkar'

The Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as it is against the ideas of BR Ambedkar who drafted the Constitution of India, party leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday.

"Our party opposes both the CAA and NRC. Protests are happening in various parts of the country. Someone is spreading rumours that one community is behind these protests. There are many issues in implementing NRC and CAA. This is not right," he told reporters here.

"As per the Constitution, we have been declared as a secular country. The basic structure of CAA and NRC are not right and is against the ideas of Balasaheb Ambedkar and other intellectuals," Kumaraswamy said.

The JD-S leader accused the central government of not paying attention to other issues including the current economic situation in the country.

"On one side we are trying to have good relationships with our neighbours. But by implementing CAA, what kind of message is the government passing? Instead of concentrating and improving the economic situation, the government is creating this type of situation which is not at all required," Kumaraswamy said.

"Our Chief Minister (BS Yediyurappa) has said that the state government will implement CAA in January next year. The situation in Assam and Tripura are different. The government is narrating stories of the plight of minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh," he further said.

Protests intensified across the country after several students were left injured after a protest against the new citizenship law turned violent in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia area on Sunday.

The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.