A BSP parliamentary delegation on Wednesday met President Ram Nath Kovind over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), asserting that the law "violates" the Constitution and called for a judicial inquiry to look into the alleged police action against students across the country.
"We told the President that CAA is wrong and in violation of the Preamble, and Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution. We requested him to take steps to revoke it in light of the protests happening in several parts of the country," BSP lawmaker Satish Chandra Mishra told reporters after the meeting.
"We also requested to constitute a judicial inquiry to look into the atrocities of police against innocent students across the country," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati demanded the rollback of the newly-enacted citizenship law and added that its implementation would leave a negative impact on the society in near future.
The meeting by the BSP delegation comes a day after leaders from opposition parties, including Congress, met the President and urged him to advise the government to immediately withdraw the citizenship law, and form a commission of inquiry to ensure that those responsible for violence during protests "in whatever form" are brought to book.
The leaders from about 13 parties, including interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, submitted a memorandum to the president which said that the CAA was divisive and its passage does not augur well for the future of democracy in India.
Protests have erupted in various parts of the country over the Act, which 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.
Last week, the Parliament cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, following which it became an act after receiving President's assent.
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