Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be implemented in the state.
In a promo video, the CM can be seen being interviewed by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut where he revealed that the proposed move will not be implemented in the state. The video was released on Sunday (February 2).
"Proving citizenship will be difficult for both Hindus and Muslims. I will not let that happen," Thackeray said.
However, he said in the interview that he supports the CAA as it is not about taking away citizenship.
It is to be noted that the Shiv Sena voted for the CAA to be passed in the parliament, even though the party's ally in Maharashtra, the Congress, voted against it.
Meanwhile, states like Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have already passed a resolution against the contentious citizenship law.
However, many opposition leaders like Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal have said that states have to obey the law if the Supreme Court fails to interfere in the matter. They argued that the law will remain in the statute book if the Supreme Court doesn't interfere in the matter, and therefore the states have to obey the Centre's decision.
Severe protests have erupted in various parts of the country ever since the central government passed the contentious act, which grants Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to the Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Several civil society members and activists have stated that the act discriminates against Muslims, a claim which has been refuted by the Centre, which puts that the act will grant long-deserved citizenship to refugees who have faced religious persecution in these neighbouring countries.