Uddhav Thackeray backs CAA, ‘opposes’ NRC

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, February 2

Adopting a line opposed to his allies — the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party — Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) even as he expressed opposition to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

“The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not throw anybody out of the country,” a teaser video posted by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on social media said.

The video is about a three-part interview of Thackeray in party mouthpiece Saamna beginning Monday.

In the video, Thackeray is seen expressing opposition to the NRC. “Under the NRC… both Hindus and Muslims would find it difficult to prove their citizenship… I will not let it happen in Maharashtra,” says Thackeray.

The Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress, which are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government along with the Shiv Sena, are opposed to the CAA and want the state government to adopt a resolution against the law.

Thackeray has been walking a tight-rope on the issue. Officially, his party is demanding that the Narendra Modi government remove several errors in the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Shiv Sena has, however, not specified what kind of amendments it wants regarding the law.

Earlier, Thackeray had told delegations of Muslims in Mumbai that the state government would await the orders of the Supreme Court which will hear a petition against the CAA later this month.