NCP MLA says NRC affects 98 pc SC/STs in Maharashtra

NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on Sunday said there would be stiff resistance if the National Register of Citizens exercise is carried out in Maharashtra, claiming almost 98 percent of people from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities do not have documents for it.

Addressing a press conference, the Kalwa-Mumbra MLA quoted from a government-appointed committee to claim "98 percent of SC and ST population in Maharashtra had no documents" and hence would fall foul of the citizenship provisions of the NRC. Incidentally, while some BJP leaders have spoken about implementing the NRC exercise nationwide earlier, after the one in Assam, of late the party has gone soft on it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Delhi on December 22, had said, "Since my government first came to power in 2014, I want to tell 130 crore countrymen, there has never been a discussion on this NRC," adding that it was done only in Assam due to a Supreme Court order. Awhad said 48 SC/ST organisations had recently met him and had resolved for a joint fight against NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"With no documents, how do you expect two crore people from the SC/ST communities (in Maharashtra) to prove they are citizens of the country? In the coming days, stiff resistance is definite against the NRC and CAA," he warned.

Representatives from some of these 48 organisations mentioned by Awhad were present at the press conference.