Under pressure to take a stand on the publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet in Delhi on Saturday.
The party’s highest decision-making body, which will meet for a second time in two weeks, will also discuss ways of escalating its campaign against the government on the Rafale deal and the state of the economy, especially joblessness among youth.
Sources say the issue of Maratha reservation agitation could also figure in the discussions.
The most immediate concern is about the draft NRC that has left out four million people from the citizenship rolls.
Apart from claiming credit for updating the citizens’ register, first mentioned in the Assam Accord, the BJP is also trying to corner the Congress by asking if it supports illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
“The BJP has made such a narrative that finds resonance not just in Assam but in the entire Northeast,” a senior Congress leader from the region said. The Congress had so far said it agreed with the principle of updating the NRC but found fault with the procedure. The BJP has accused it of doing “appeasement politics”.