CAA protests: Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray urges Muslim community to maintain law and order

Amid the nationwide protest on Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray, on Thursday, spoke to the representatives of the Muslim community and requested them to maintain law and order. Speaking to the representatives via video conferencing, he asserted that the protesters should maintain calm during protests against CAA and NRC. Leaders of several opposition parties met President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday urging him to advise the government to withdraw the law.

Shiv Sena's dual stand on CAA 

'No clarity for Sena'

Shiv Sena voted in favour of CAB in Lok Sabha and boycotted the voting session in Rajya Sabha. The Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra CM, Uddhav Thackeray while addressing the media at an event said, “The questions we asked in Lok Sabha on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 were not answered in Rajya Sabha. There is no clarity on the Citizenship Act." Thackeray further said that there is no clarity regarding how many people will come to our country and from where they will come. He further questioned where these people will stay after coming to India. 

Read: Assam protests: Police firing death toll rises to four amid anti-CAB demonstrations

Sanjay Raut on Shiv Sena's walkout from RS 

Shiv Sena also boycotted the voting on CAB in Rajya Sabha during the Parliamentary sessions Speaking to the media after walking out of the Rajya Sabha, abandoning the voting on CAB, Raut said, "We wanted a few answers to our questions. But I and my party thought that if we are not getting any answers properly then there is no point in opposing or supporting the bill." Further, speaking about vote bank politics, he said, "The vote bank politics should not be played. It is not correct. Do not attempt to create a Hindu-Muslim divide again. Also, there is nothing in this Bill for Tamil Hindus of Sri Lanka”. 

Read: Ram Madhav hails CJI for 'using his moral authority' to contain anti-CAA violence

The Citizenship Amendment Act  

The Act seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Home Minister Amit Shah, amid all the protests against the Act, has ruled out its withdrawal with the government repeatedly saying that the law does not affect any Indian citizen.

Read: Sonia Gandhi slams BJP over CAA says 'attack on students will be Modi's end'

Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 6 years. Several parties in the North East such as the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) have been vehemently opposed to this Act. To ameliorate their concerns, the Centre has exempted a major part of the North East from the ambit of the CAA. The opposition contends that the Bill discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality.    

Read: Manmohan Singh appeals to 'strengthen Sonia & Rahul Gandhi's hands; give Congress power'