Asaduddin Owaisi
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday called the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) "unconstitutional" and said it is made on the basis of religion, a day after the Centre said rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 will be notified "much before" the announcement of Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking to reporters here, the Hyderabad MP said, "CAA is anti-Constitution. It's a law which has been made on the basis of religion".
"CAA must be read with and understood with NPR-NRC which will lay down conditions to prove your citizenship of this country. And if that happens it will be a grave injustice, especially to the Muslims, to the Dalits and poor people of India, irrespective of the caste or religion they belong to," he said reacting to a query on reports that CAA rules will be notified by the Centre.
"... You can't make a law on the basis of religion and especially citizenship...to make a law you have to understand Citizen Amendment Act with NPR-NRC. You have to see those conditions which have been put there...this will be a grave disaster," Owaisi added.
Under the CAA brought in by the Narendra Modi government, Indian nationality will be granted to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014. Massive protests erupted in some parts of the country after the CAA was passed by Parliament in December 2019 and received the presidential assent subsequently. A senior government official had on Tuesday said Rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 will be notified "much before" the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.
Reacting to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's statement that he felt proud and happy to have been present when the 'kar sevaks' brought down the Babri structure on December 6, 1992, Owaisi asked "was he (Fadnavis) not provoking and inciting being a Deputy Chief Minister".
The AIMIM chief sought to know the stand of BJP-led central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. "We want to know from the Prime Minister and his government. Why PM Modi and Centre doesn't say we will abide by the Act. If you follow the Act then all issues will be settled," Owaisi said.