Andhra: YSRCP MLA calls for amendments to CAA to address concerns of Muslims

A YSRCP MLA said on Wednesday, 13 March that his party firmly opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in its current form and demanded that the central government amend it to address legitimate concerns of the Muslim community.

Addressing a press conference at the YSRCP office in Tadepalli in Guntur district, Kurnool MLA Abdul Hafeez Khan said the implementation of the law in its current form will have an adverse impact on the Muslim community.

"CAA later can depend on NRC (National Register for Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register). 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," Khan claimed.

According to the state's ruling party MLA, there is a lot of distress in the Muslim community that they might be targeted through NRC or NPR and that the CAA cannot shield them.

Hence, he requested the central government to amend the law to address the legitimate concerns of the Muslim community.

The central government notified the rules for implementing the CAA on Monday, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before 31 December, 2014.