Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress is opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in its present format, a party MLA said on Wednesday.
Party MLA Hafiz Khan on Wednesday reiterated the YSRCP’s position on the CAA, which came into force three days ago, and demanded amendments to the legislation to address the concerns of the Muslim community.
Echoing the apprehensions of people, he told reporters that the CAA would have an adverse impact on the Muslim community and has created a sense of insecurity among the community.
“In NRC or NPR, if an Indian Muslim is not able to prove his citizenship, then the CAA will not apply to him. However, if anyone from any other religion faces a similar situation, then CAA will be applicable and provide him protection. Today, somewhere within the system, there is a lot of distress within the Muslim community that they might be targeted through NRC/NPR and CAA will not be able to shield them,” he claimed.
The YSRCP leader said the Centre should rethink and take everyone into confidence.
He said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s vision is centred around providing security and justice to every citizen, and the Chief Minister and the YSRCP consistently stood in support of valuing all communities equally. He recalled that the state Assembly already passed a resolution that the state government would not implement the NRC.