Thackeray requires 'briefing' to understand how NPR is basis of NRC: Manish Tewari

A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray backed Modi government on CAA-NPR, Congress leader Manish Tewari hit back saying the Shiv Sena supremo needed a briefing to understand the intricacies of the issue.

The former Union Minister said the Maharashtra Chief Minister also required to be re-acquainted with the design of the Indian Constitution that religion cannot be a basis of citizenship.

Tewari's sharp remarks came a day after Thackeray had echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's views on CAA-NPR-NRC and asserted that no one need to be afraid of the measures rolled out by the NDA government that had triggered protests across the country.

“CM Maharashtra Uddhav Thackarey requires a briefing on Citizenship Amendment Rules -2003 to understand how NPR (National Population Register) is basis of NRC (National Register of Citizens),” Tewari said.

“Once you do NPR, you can not stop NRC. On CAA – needs to be reacquainted with design of Indian Constitution that religion can not be basis of Citizenship,” he said.

Minutes before meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday evening, Thackeray had also accused a section of political leaders of creating fear in the minds of Muslims by claiming that it was “dangerous” for them.

Thackeray heads the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government in Maharashtra which has often been in the news for their divergent ideological views on issues such as CAA-NPR-NRC. Ram Temple, Veer Savarkar among others.

BJP had taken a dig at Thackeray's meeting with the Congress President on Friday as she now held the remote control to the Maharasthra government.

"The remote control to no longer works from Matoshree at Bandra, it has not shifted to Delhi's Matoshree," BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said.

Matoshree in Bandra is a reference to the Thackeray's palatial bungalow in suburban Mumbai. Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray famously said he held the remote control to the Maharashtra government after the Shiv Sena-BJP had come to power for the first time in 1995.

Mungantiwar's 'Delhi's Matoshree' was an apparent reference to Sonia Gandhi.