CAA in its current form unacceptable, needs amendments: YSRCP

Hyderabad: After supporting the Bill in the Parliament in December, 2019, Andhra Pradesh's ruling party YSRCP has now come out opposing CAA in its 'current form' and opined that it needs amendments to make it more inclusive.

Two days after Centre notified rules for the contentious amendments to the citizenship law, and also launched a portal, YSRCP's Muslim MLA representing Kurnool, Abdul Hafeez Khan said that CAA in its current form is unacceptable.

Notably, last week, Andhra's opposition party TDP had announced rejoining the BJP led NDA. Now, TDP, BJP and Jana Sena would jointly fight ensuing polls.

In December 2019, when the CAA Bill was introduced in both the Houses of the parliament, both YSRCP and TDP had supported it. While voting for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, in the Lok Sabha, the YSRCP MP from Rajampet, Peddireddy Midhun Reddy had said that his party had certain concerns about the bill excluding Muslims minorities sects like Ahmedias and expressed hope that the Centre would address them.

“Our party president, in the last 5 years has mentioned hundreds of times that there will be no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, party lines, or even region with respect to the social welfare programmes, law, and order or justice. Therefore, YSRCP doesn't accept CAA rules in its current format because we, on the floor of the Parliament, have sought amendments to the law so that it is acceptable to each and everyone. We should amend it in a way that we give the same rights to Hindus, Parsis, Jains, Sikhs, and Christians, as well as Muslims,” MLA Hafeez Khan on Wednesday said in a video statement.

The MLA further said that CAA later can depend on National Register for Citizens ( NRC) and National Population Register (NPR). In NRC or NPR, if an Indian Muslim is not able to prove his citizenship, then the CAA will not apply to him. However, if anyone from any other religion faces a similar situation, then CAA will be applicable and provide him protection, he said.

“Today, somewhere within the system, there is a lot of distress within the Muslim community that they might be targeted through NRC / NPR and CAA will not be able to shield them. So we request the central government to rethink and take everyone into confidence,” he said.

Interestingly YSRCP's view on CAA came out from a Muslim MLA instead of either party president and chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy or his top aides like government advisor, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy or parliamentary party leader, V Vijaysai Reddy.