Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. (File Photo)

The Telangana government will not start work on the National Population Register at present, and will move a resolution in the Assembly opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and appeal to the Centre to implement NPR in the old format.

The state government is of the opinion that the NPR in the old format is better than that in the new format and will request the same of the Centre.

On February 16, the state cabinet appealed to the Union government to not discriminate on the basis of religion for according Indian citizenship. It also requested that all religions must be treated as equal before the law. The state further requested the Central government to take measures to abrogate the CAA, which will lead to discrimination on the basis of religion while granting citizenship and thereby jeopardising secularism as envisaged in the Constitution.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had earlier stated that his government will pass a resolution in the Assembly opposing the CAA. “We are against the CAA. The Centre has to withdraw CAA. What will they achieve by dividing people? We will not implement it…,” he had said.