Mangaluru: MLA U T Khader has demanded an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that no harm would come to the Muslim community in connection with the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and not from Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Pointing to Rajnath Singh’s statement during a CAA awareness programme organised at the Gold Finch City grounds in Bangra Kuloor on Monday, where he assured that no harm would come to the Muslim community, Khader said, ‘’Why did Narendra Modi and Amit Shah not utter a single word of such assurance to the public so far? What is the secret of their silence? Rajnath Singh informed that the government did not discuss the issue of the NRC till date. If so, why did Union Home Minister Amit Shah iterate that they will not back away from implementing the NRC in all states? There must be something behind the different statements of the BJP leaders and the government should clarify its stand with regard to both the CAA and NRC.”
Welcoming the Union Government’s decision to confer Harekala Hajabba with the highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, the MLA said, ”I congratulate Hajabba and thank the Union Government for selecting him for the award. However, if the NRC will be implemented in state, Hajabba will also need to furnish his parents’ birth certificates. Being an uneducated person, how will Padma Shri awardee Hajabba furnish the documents to the government to prove his citizenship? If the Union Government intends to implement the NRC, it should first implement it in Assam and then extend it to the remaining states. Let the Chief Minister and state Home Minister announce that the NRC will not be implemented in our state.”
Responding to a query on the life threat to him during the pro-CAA protest on Monday, Khader said that he doesn’t want to give importance to such threats. “Those who have threatened my life will definitely revolt against the Union Government after they are forced to stand in a queue to furnish the required documents to prove their citizenship,” he said.
Govt sponsored rally: Ivan
MLC Ivan D’Souza, who was also present at the press meet, termed the pro-CAA rally as a government-sponsored rally. “If not so, why did the district administration give a holiday for all the schools on Monday afternoon? If the intention of the education department is to avert inconvenience for the school children, why can’t they use the police department to prevent inconvenience?” he questioned.
Congress leaders Ishwar Ullal, Santhosh Shetty, Farooq, Rehman and others were present.
