TS Chief Minister assures 'right' decision on NRC, says Owaisi

Hyderabad: MP from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi and Muslim leaders from different political parties, community heads, and other agencies met with Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. They urged KCR to think before taking any decision on implementing the National Population Register (NPR). Owaisi and other members met KCR in Hyderabad on December 25, to discuss NPR, National Register of Citizens (NRC), and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

After his meeting with KCR, Owaisi, addressing the media, said, “There are no differences between NPR and NRC. India’s Union Home Minister is misleading its citizens. All political parties will be working together to protest against this.”

Owaisi said that KCR understands that NPR is not a state issue, but a national one, and he will not make any decision in a hurry. In their meeting with the Telangana CM, the Muslim leaders said that NCR would cost disproportionate hardships to the most marginalised communities.

The board noted that the Union Home Ministry has referred to NPR as the “first step towards creating an NRC”. In a statement submitted to KCR, the Muslim leaders stated that the Centre is trying to use NRC as a means to exclude Muslims, and it is against the secular structure of India. The leaders noted that the introduction of NPR would affect ordinary people who cannot understand the complex legal procedures. It also affects those who have never received proof of birth by the government. They added that the introduction of CAA would further deepen the inequality in the country, and “the impact on Muslims will be most stark and direct”.

The delegation said that the procedure would also be economically costly. The states will have to employ new officers, and it will be time-consuming, said the report. The members asked KCR to ensure that he takes measures from NRC to protect citizens residing in Telangana.

AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP @asadowaisi spoke to the media earlier today, on the #NPR memorandum which was submitted to @TelanganaCMO. https://t.co/w8sq9x6gDQ

— AIMIM (@aimim_national) December 25, 2019