Don’t fear CAA, Uddhav after meeting PM Modi

On his maiden visit to New Delhi after taking over as Maharashtra chief minister in November, Uddhav Thackeray, in a balancing act, on Friday met Prime Minister

On his maiden visit to New Delhi after taking over as Maharashtra chief minister in November, Uddhav Thackeray, in a balancing act, on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, besides Union home minister Amit Shah and veteran BJP leader LK Advani.

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After his one-hour meeting with Modi , Thackeray reiterated his stand on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), stressing that there was no reason for people to be worried about the citizenship law or the population register.

Thackeray, who is leading a three-party government, said the PM and he discussed several issues pertaining to Maharashtra, from pending compensation for Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the CAA.

“This is the first time I have come to Delhi as CM. I told the PM that political issues aside, as an important state of the country, Maharashtra needs the support of the Centre and the PM has assured me co-operation for all good initiatives in Maharashtra,’’ said Thackeray, in a press conference at Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s residence.

“No one needs to fear the CAA, it will not take away anyone’s citizenship. Even NPR is proposed along with census, which happens every 10 years. If there are new columns proposed in the NPR, they will be scrutinised by our government and if it seems problematic, we won’t take it ahead. I have promised that no one’s rights will be taken away,” Thackeray said. He, however, said the NRC would be problematic for all and that the Centre had made it clear in the Parliament that it would not be implemented. He added this was not his political stand, but his understanding of the issue.

Thackeray’s new allies, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are opposed to the CAA and NPR and there have been murmurs of a rift on these issues. But, Thackeray expressed confidence that his government would complete its full tenure of five years.

When he was asked about an ongoing tacit strife with the Congress in the state and whether his government would complete five years, he retorted, “Who said [there are differences]? Yes, we will [complete five years]. We have made up our minds and we are running the government on the basis of a common minimum programme.’’

Thackeray, who was accompanied by his son and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray on his Delhi visit also spent nearly an hour with Gandhi.

At this meeting, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and at a later stage, senior leader Rahul Gandhi also joined in. Priyanka Gandhi also joined in the meeting later.

“The meeting went off very well,” said an aide of Uddhav Thackeray.

“This was the first meeting, so contentious issues like CAA, NRC were not discussed. Overall, it was agreed that as parties with different ideologies, we must run the government on a common minimum programme, based on good governance. And, contentious issues would be resolved at the state level by senior leaders of all parties,’’ said a leader privy to the meeting.

Among the various state issues flagged at the meeting with PM were funding for 10 irrigation projects under the Baliraja Sanjivani Yojana, GST compensation, PM Crop Insurance Scheme and the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank scam.

“The issues of GST compensation to states, including Maharashtra, PM Fasal Bima Yojna, Central Road Fund, Baliraja Sanjivani Yojana, pending proposals and the PMC bank were discussed with the Hon’ble Prime Minister,’’ Aaditya Thackeray tweeted after the meeting.

“I had the opportunity to discuss environmental issues, including electric mobility, renewable energy, solarising highways, the ban on single-use disposable plastics with the Hon’ble PM. I briefed him about about the urban forests we are creating in Maharashtra,” he added in a series of tweets.

“GST dues are not coming speedily as it should. Earlier, I had written a letter to the Prime Minister over releasing dues worth₹14,000 crore. Of them, we have received some amount, but the rest of the money is yet to come. We need them for our welfare schemes,” said the CM.