Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday deputed a five-member team to visit the riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi and submit a report to her after assessing the situation there. The Congress, for its part, slammed the BJP for attacking Sonia chief over her ‘Rajdharma’ remarks, saying its leaders like Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh believed in equality and harmony, while the Modi Government has a “divisive mindset”.

The five-member team comprises AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, AICC in-charge Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, former MP Tariq Anwar and Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev.

The team has been asked to submit a “detailed report to the Congress president immediately”, the Congress said in a statement. Later, the Congress leaders who are part of the team held a meeting at the party headquarters here.

The Congress slammed the BJP for attacking Sonia Gandhi over the party’s ‘Rajdharma’ reminder after Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the Congress president asking her “don’t preach us Rajdharma”.

The BJP’s remarks came a day after the Congress leaders, led by Sonia Gandhi, met President Ram Nath Kovind and submitted a memorandum demanding resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for “abdication of duty” during the communal violence in northeast Delhi.

 The party also reminded the Centre for its ‘Rajdharma’.”Indira ji, Rajiv ji, Manmohan Singh ji’s Rajdharma, was that Rajdharma, in which equality, harmony was given priority. What you are doing, there is prejudice in that; there is a divisive mindset,” the Congress posted on its official Twitter handle.

Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi asserted that the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are linked with the additional questions being added to the NPR.

Singhvi’s assertion came after Prasad alleged that the communal violence in northeast Delhi was an outcome of “instigation” by Opposition leaders.

Prasad said the NPR was started by the Congress-led regime. “If Congress does something, it is good. But if we do the same thing, they provoke the people. What type of raj dharma is this?” he asked.

Hitting back at Prasad, Singhvi said, “Arrest all of us because we are speaking peacefully in a democratic country against what we believe is a wrong move. I am saying it right now and daring anyone to arrest me, that the NRC is wrong.”

“If you thing that is sedition. If you think that is anti-national. If you think that is provocation and incitement. I think it is a matter of shame if we have to live in a country where this free speech without violence, peaceful protest without violence is so treated,” he said.

Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also hit out at the BJP over Prasad’s remarks on NPR and asked why he doesn’t implement it in Bihar.

 The BJP-JD(U) speaking one language in Bihar and another in Delhi, he said.       The Bihar Assembly recently passed a unanimous resolution against the new format of NPR and NRC.

 Singhvi stated categorically, that according to the Congress, NRC is unconstitutional and wrong and should not happen. “It divides the country. If you have courage...And if I am doing something unconstitutional, I am inciting somebody and doing something anti-national, then you should arrest me,” he said.

 Slamming Prasad, the Congress said the BJP will not understand the fight to finish.  “Across that line are thieves, capitalist friend, rapists and hate and you are promoting it all,” the party said in a tweet.

“Across this line are farmers, labourers, poor, women, youth and the protector of their interests - Congress,” it said.