Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. (Express file photo)
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said the Maharashtra Assembly was unlikely to pass a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizen (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) as there was nothing to fear about them.
“People of Maharashtra should not get scared of CAA, NRC and NPR. Some people are trying to create a debate on this but if anyone tries to create a misconception, then NCP workers should tell them that (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar and other MVA ministers have given their word that no one’s citizenship in the state will be affected,” Ajit Pawar said addressing a convention of the Mumbai wing of the party.
He said with these assurances there was no need for bringing in a Bihar-like resolution in the Assembly.
The Bihar Assembly on February 25 passed a resolution not to implement the NRC in the state. It also passed a resolution to implement the NPR but in its 2010 form, with an amendment.
A section of Congress leaders had last week urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to pass a resolution against CAA, NPR and NRC.
Ajit Pawar was addressing the cadre as part of the NCP’s push to spread its wings in Mumbai under “Mission BMC 2022”, which was flagged off on Sunday. The NCP currently has nine seats in the 227-seat BMC. Ajit Pawar said the party will contest the elections as part of the MVA alliance.
“We have to start preparations from now. The MVA should emerge winner in the BMC elections. Our ally Shiv Sena has the maximum number of seats in the BMC. We should try to come second…” he said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who also addressed the convention, blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the Delhi riots. “The national capital is burning… The ruling party at the Centre could not win the Delhi Assembly polls and tried to divide the society by promoting communalism,” he said.