Will not allow NRC in Maharashtra: CM

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in an interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, said that he will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) to

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in an interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, said that he will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be implemented in Maharashtra. The Sena chief, however, defended the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying it was not about taking away people’s citizenship rights.

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A video clip of the interview was released on Sunday, and part one of the three-part interview will appear in Saamana on Monday. Thackeray’s support to the CAA could lead to issues within the three-party government of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress in Maharashtra. The Congress and NCP have already objected to the amendment.

“The CAA is not a law to remove anybody from the country,” Thackeray said, in reply to a question by Sena leader and Saamana editor Sanjay Raut. Assuaging the concerns of Muslims over the NRC, he said, “Proving citizenship will be difficult for both Hindus and Muslims. I will not let that happen.”

The Sena had backed the CAA when it was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2019. However, after the Congress leadership expressed unhappiness over the Sena’s stance, the party did not back the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Sena MPs, including Raut, walked out ahead of the voting on the Bill in the Upper house. Subsequently, the Sena mouthpiece slammed the Narendra Modi government on the CAA and NRC, stating it led to countywide protests.

In the video, Raut also asked Thackeray if he was firm on evicting “illegal Pakistanis and Bangladeshi immigrants”, the party’s stance since the time of Sena founder Bal Thackeray. The issue has now been taken up by Thackeray’s estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who has adopted a hardline Hindutva stance.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant does not consider Thackeray’s views on the CAA as that of the state government. “It may be his personal opinion. Besides, we should wait for the Supreme Court order on the petition to challenge the law. The Congress has always maintained that the NRC will be opposed,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, said they will wait and watch if the Shiv Sena “remains firm” on their stand on the CAA.

“In the past, we have seen that the Sena has changed their position owing to pressure from the Congress. Let us see if the CM remains firm on backing the CAA. With regard to the NRC, there is no draft of NRC yet. We will talk about it later,” said Keshav Upadhye, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson.

Political observers pointed out that Thackeray continues to play the Sena’s Hindutva card while managing to keep the secular allies happy in Maharashtra. Surendra Jondhale, a political analyst, said that Thackeray’s statement had “contradiction”.

He said, “Most Congress-ruled states have passed a resolution against the CAA. Legally and Constitutionally speaking, these resolutions will not stand; it is a political approach. It is a surprise why Uddhav Thackeray has not taken this step when he has taken an anti-BJP stand on many things. He should explicitly say why he supports the CAA. Is it because his opposition will not hold constitutionally? He should take a political position and not a contradictory one.”