Owaisi meets KCR, wants ongoing work on NPR to be stopped

A delegation of Muslim leaders under the leadership of All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi met Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum asking the latter to stop all ongoing work on updation of the National Population Register (NPR).

The delegation of over 30 Muslim leaders under the banner of the United Muslim Action Committee asked KCR, amid fears that the Centre will use the NPR to go ahead with creating a National Register of Citizens (NRC), to ensure that citizens in Telangana are protected from “arbitrary and discriminatory measures such as NRC”. They also asked the chief minister to ensure conduct of state public service is in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Owaisi has been a vocal critic of the NRC and has also taken a stand against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Under the new law, six non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, or refugees facing persecution, will be granted citizenship on a fast-track basis.

“The Union home minister, in an interview to ABP News (2nd October, 2019), noted that those benefiting from the CAA will not even have to submit documents. This is a process that has caused justified consternation among citizens across the country. It must be noted that in the interest of public order, it is required that residents of the state are not put at risk of extortion and harassment,” stated the letter to KCR.

It added that as a result of the CAA, the NRC’s impact on Muslims will be the most stark. The Muslim leaders also asked the Telangana chief minister to consult with legal experts and the government of Kerala (headed by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan) specifically to discuss modalities.

Vijayan was one of the first chief ministers to announce that he would not implement the CAA. KCR, however, has not said anything publicly on the matter, unlike his counterparts in other non-BJP ruled states. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy is the latest to say that he will not implement NRC in his state.

Owaisi also launched a series of public meetings on Tuesday from Mahbubnagar district under the banner of the United Muslim Action Committee against the CAA and NRC.