Owaisi calls CAA unconstitutional

Hyderabad: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) passed by the Modi government was unconstitutional as it was based on religion and requested Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to abide by the resolution of the Assembly not to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) in the state.

Addressing mediapersons, Owaisi said: “There was no need for this law to give citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from other countries. What is happening to Kashmir Pandits, who have not returned to their state? I had filed a case in the Supreme Court and it had said that let the (CAA) rules be framed. We will knock the court doors now again.”

Asked why there was an objection to the CAA when it did not take away anybody’s citizenship, Owaisi said, “The BJP wants to hold NPR and NRC. In Assam, where NRC was held under the supervision of the Supreme Court, it was found that 19 lakh people were not citizens… Of them, 12 lakhs were Hindus. However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assured them of citizenship once the CAA is implemented as their religion is included. The benefit is denied to only Muslims under CAA, which is discriminatory,” the AIMIM chief explained.

Observing that the BJP government had announced the implementation of the CAA just before Ramzan, Owaisi said CAA should not be seen in isolation as Union home minister Amit Shah had said that NRC rules would follow soon.

“When India wants to become a member of the UN Security Council, what is the policy of the country on immigrants? Hyderabad citizens will defeat the BJP on this issue,” he said.

Owaisi said the Telangana Assembly had passed a resolution declaring that NRC would not be implemented in the state and only the Census will be held and hoped that Revanth Reddy would stand by it.

“What the BJP did in Assam they want to do across the country. They want to make Muslims stateless. Chandrababu Naidu had called Modi a terrorist. Will the Muslims vote for the BJP and Naidu alliance? What choice do they have? Naidu had supported Vajpayee. Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and tribals will play a decisive role now in AP,” he said.

On the country becoming the third largest economy, the AIMIM chief said, “Where are we in our per capita income compared to other countries? Let them bring us to the 50th place from 152nd now.”

On the BJP allegation of family rule, Owaisi said, “Many candidates being fielded by the BJP now are the kin of politicians.”