The Maharashtra Minority Affairs minister and Senior leader of NCP, Nawab Malik has said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, that is the three-party coalition running the government of Maharashtra, will be soon finalizing the draft for centre’s additional questionnaire for the National Population Register (NPR) in the state.
On Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s statement on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Malik said that implementation of CAA is not up to states but the centre, “Maha Vikas Aghadi to finalize NPR additional questionnaire draft for Maharashtra. NPR census is mandatory in the country. NPR questionnaire was made in the year 2008 and some additional questionnaire has been drafted and given by the centre. We will examine and make a decision. We will also see what other non-BJP ruled states are planning. Then the three parties of Maha Vikas Aghadi will sit together and finalize the questionnaire.”
On Friday, addressing media after a meeting with Prime Minister Modi, CM Uddhav Thackeray had repeated his stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act. He said, “We have had a discussion on the Citizenship Amendment Act, NPR, and NRC. I have already stated my stance on these in Saamana. No one should be scared of CAA. This law is not to take away citizenship from anyone but about granting citizenship to the minorities of the neighbouring countries.” He also informed that PM Modi said that there will be no countrywide NRC.
The Maha Aghadi Alliance parties seem to be turning ideological rivals on CAA, NPR, and NRC. The Congress and the NCP are continuously standing against the CAA, NRC and NPR spreading the falsehood, favouring the protests while Shiv Sena favouring the centre’s stand on CAA and NPR, while saying that they oppose the NRC.
