Punjab Cong chief attacks Centre over CAA

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Saturday lashed out at the Centre over the amended Citizenship Act, accusing it of bringing this law to "divert attention" of people from its "failures".

"The NDA government has been regularly failing on all fronts and to divert the attention of people, the BJP leaders have presented the CAA," Jakhar said in a party statement.

The BJP leaders were unsuccessfully trying to "change the basic feature" of the Constitution which they were aware citizens would never let them do it, he further said.

The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities facing persecution on the basis of religion in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Chairing a meeting with party workers here, Jakhar also attacked Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of trying to save the party president post by staging protests against the state government.

On Saturday, held a protest at Patiala against the Congress-led government.

"Sukhbir Singh Badal is trying to save his post as president of the SAD by staging protests against the state government as it was he who himself had once claimed that the 'dharna' or protests is the job of idles," Jakhar said.

Jakhar also backed the stand of disgruntled SAD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa who attacked SAD leadership and described Sukhbir's appointment of party chief as "undemocratic".

"Only to save a post of minister in the Centre, the leaders of SAD are not issuing any statement against the wrong doings of BJP," said Jakhar pointing out that when the Modi-led government delayed GST compensation to Punjab, the SAD leaders remained "silent".