In a fervent address at a public gathering in Hyderabad, Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised poignant queries about the destiny of approximately 150,000 Muslims purportedly excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) roster in Assam subsequent to the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) within the state.
Expressing his concerns, Owaisi spotlighted the disparity, stating, “Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that the 1.2 million Hindus absent from the NRC will be granted Indian citizenship under the CAA. But what of the 150,000 Muslims?”
With a tone of indignation, Owaisi elaborated on the arduous journey that awaits these marginalized Muslims, elucidating, “They will be tasked with proving their lineage, tracing back to 1962 or even 1951, before the Foreigners’ Tribunal. Interrogated about their arrival in 1962 or 1951, they will be required to furnish ancestral records and grandparental birth certificates. These 150,000 Muslims shall be left to navigate the labyrinth of the Foreigners’ Tribunal.”
Forewarning against complacency, Owaisi cautioned that despite reassurances from the BJP regarding the CAA’s impact on resident Muslims, inevitable repercussions loom on the horizon. “The BJP contends that nothing will transpire immediately. However, I assert that the unfolding of events is a gradual process,” he remarked.
Drawing attention to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertions regarding the CAA, NRC, and National Population Register (NPR), Owaisi emphasized, “Home Minister Amit Shah explicitly stated in Parliament that NPR and NRC will be enforced. Was there not mention of NPR and NRC in televised interviews?”
Reflecting on the tumultuous aftermath of the NRC exercise in Assam, where a substantial portion of the populace discovered their absence from the final roster, Owaisi lamented, “At the behest of the Supreme Court, the government executed the NRC in Assam, expending Rs 1,600 crore. The outcome? 1.9 million individuals found themselves excluded, including 1-1.2 million Hindus and 150,000 Muslims.”
However, Owaisi expressed receptivity towards granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring nations, albeit emphasizing that the process should transcend religious parameters. “While I am amenable to extending citizenship to individuals fleeing persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, it must not be contingent upon religion,” he stressed.
The Union Home Ministry delineated the regulations for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) shortly before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections schedule. Enacted by the Centre and ratified by Parliament in 2019, the CAA aims to bestow Indian citizenship upon non-Muslim migrants persecuted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, provided they arrived in India before December 31, 2014.