No need to fear CAA, NPR: Uddhav after meeting PM

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 21

Stage is set for the first major confrontation within Maha Vikas Aghadi with Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray today backing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR) after an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

Thackeray’s public support for the contentious issues came ahead of his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi whose views on the issues are well known. While the Congress Working Committee had this January demanded that CAA be withdrawn and NPR process stopped forthwith, Thackeray said there was no need to fear on account of the CAA or NPR. The Maharashtra CM said Census was a decadal exercise and must be conducted.

“We discussed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, NRC and NPR. I have already made my stand on these issues clear. No one should be scared of the CAA or NPR. The CAA does not take away anyone’s citizenship. It does not throw anyone out of the country. It is about granting citizenship to minorities in neighbouring countries. I also don’t understand why some people are apprehensive about the NPR. There is no reason to fear it,” Uddhav said after meeting the PM. He described the meeting as “good”.

Thackeray’s remarks came close on the heels of Congress and NCP signalling to the CM to come around to the dominant position alliance partners had taken on the matter which had led to nationwide protests.

Asked if he had spoken to the Congress about the contentious issues, Thackeray said, “Obviously, we are running the government.”

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