All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen president and Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to stay the National Population Register (NPR) exercise.
Addressing a massive protest against NPR, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) here, he said the NPR and NRC were two sides of the same coin. NPR would lead to NRC.
He described CAA as unconstitutional because it was the first time that a piece of legislation was brought in on the basis of religion.
He said the CAA was also anti-Dravidian. “Where is the Dravidian pride of AIADMK as the CAA has not included Sri Lankan Tamils.” If the AIADMK sided with the BJP on the issue, the people would reject the party, he warned.
“We are protesting against the NPR as it seeks details such as the birth place of parents, their date of birth, Aadhaar and passport. The National Family Health survey conducted in 2015 has revealed that 28% of the people do not have birth certificates in the country. Among them, 40% are Muslims and 44% are Adivasis,” he said.
The citizenship of anyone would be taken away if they were not able to produce any of the documents sought during NPR survey.
“Similarly, even if someone objects to your details in NPR, even without any proof, then you will have to prove your citizenship at the Foreigner’s Tribunal.”
He expressed apprehension that using this provision of objection, Muslims would be targeted. Most of the people in the audience put their hands up when Mr. Owaisi asked those without a birth certificate to raise their hands. “In all probability, you will be put in detention centres,” he said.
Stating that Muslims of India chose to remain in the country during Partition, he asked why the patriotism of the community was always suspect.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of being bothered about the minorities of Pakistan and Bangladesh, should be concerned about the minorities of India.
He charged the Prime Minister with being unconcerned about the alarming rate of suicide among the unemployed youth and the downfall of Indian economy.
In Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States, Muslims who were protesting against CAA, were targeted. In Uttar Pradesh, 25 Muslims were shot dead.
Appealing to the people of India to stand up against the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said if they failed to protest against it, they could face the fate of lakhs of Jews who were killed in Hitler’s Germany in 1938 following a similar Citizenship Act.
