Asaduddin Owaisi urges Jaganmohan Reddy to pass anti-CAA resolution

VIJAYAWADA: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday criticised chief minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for his silence over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and urged him to pass a resolution opposing the move in the state assembly.
Speaking at a meet organised by various Muslim organisations in the city, Owaisi also appealed to opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu to back the resolution in the assembly.
Owaisi said the state government’s GO 124 that said there was no need to give any document as part of NPR was flawed. The Union home ministry in its website said under the enumerator rules 2.2.3 and 2.2.6 they should ask for Aadhaar cards, mobile number, PAN card and other details and the state government cannot override the central government’s order, said Owaisi.
Owaisi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying for his statement that the Centre has not decided on NRC and added NPR was a precursor to NRC. By quoting the example of one Zabida Begum from Assam, who showed 15 documents to the Guwahati high court but still was declared as non-citizen of India, Owaisi said the same can happen to anyone.
Owaisi said the Centre was trying to divide the country along religious lines. Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis would be at the receiving end if CAA, NPR and NRC were not stopped, he said. Quoting National Family Health Survey, Owaisi said 40% of Dalits, 40% of Muslims and 44% of Adivasis do not have birth certificates and NPR could threaten their citizenship, said Owaisi.
Owaisi said the anti-CAA movement was not in the hands of any Muslim leader and the issue affected all marginalised sections of society.
Owaisi said Modi likes to make people stand in queues and if NPR takes place in the country, the poor will have to stand in the line again to prove their identities.
TDP leader and Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) said he did not vote for the bill and TDP would support if the state government brings a resolution opposing CAA, NPR and NRC in the assembly.