Nobody should be scared of CAA, NRC: Uddhav Thackeray after meeting PM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made the remark while addressing a press conference on Friday following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

He said the central government has assured him that nobody needs to prove their citizenship through CAA or National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The CAA will grant citizenship to all Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi but not Muslim refugees who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before 2015.

"Nobody needs to be afraid of CAA. It is not about taking away anyone's citizenship. The minorities in our neighbouring countries, who are oppressed, will be benefitted with the CAA...so what is wrong with it? Right now there is no plan on the part of the Centre to implement NRC so people should not be scared of it."

However, the Shiv Sena supremo said that if he feels NRC or NPR (National Population Register) threatens the citizenship of the people of the country, his party will oppose the same.

"The trouble in Assam due to NRC will be solved. And NPR is like general census process. If we see there is any threat to the citizens of the country, we will certainly oppose it. I assure the people of my state, none's citizenship can be snatched," he said.

The issue of CAA has also been an obstacle between the Shiv Sena and its two ideologically different allies in Maharashtra since the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are both ardent opponents of the NRC and CAA.

After severing ties with its long-time ally BJP in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena joined hands with two ideologically different parties-Congress and the NCP-to form government in the state.

However, on Friday, Thackeray played down the fact that there is any rift among the three partners.

"We have made up our minds. We are following the Common Minimum Programme. There is no problem," he said.

The Sena chief also met Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and is expected to meet BJP veteran LK Advani and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.