Published 20:23 IST, February 23rd 2020
Fadnavis appreciates Uddhav's stance on CAA, Bhima Koregaon, says 'will felicitate him'
BJP's Devendra Fadnavis said that the Opposition will felicitate Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray for his stance on various national issues
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that the Opposition will felicitate Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray for his stance on various national issues including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and transferring of the Bhima Koregaon case to NIA. Fadnavis also added that this case is not just restricted to Maharashtra, but linked with other states also and backed CM Thackeray for transferring the Bhima Koregaon case to NIA.This statement of Fadnavis comes a day before the Budget session of the state assembly.
Fadnavis in a press conference said, "We will felicitate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for his stance on the national issues like CAA and NPR. He has supported these two laws. The wrong information is being spread about CAA to mislead the people ...it is appreciative that Maharashtra Chief Minister has supported CAA and NPR."
"We welcome the transfer of Bhima Koregaon violence case to NIA, I am sure that despite the Home Minister and NCPs objection, the chief minister has transferred the case to NIA after seeing the documents related to this case," said Fadnavis.
Uddhav's flip-flop on CAA-NRC-NPR
After meeting PM Modi in Delhi on Friday, 21 February, Thackeray held a press conference in which he maintained that the NPR was a regular exercise like the census and that a nationwide NRC would not be implemented. However, after meeting Congress interim-chief Sonia Gandhi, Thackeray tweeted that the Maharashtra government would not allow NPR in the state if the new columns proposed in the NPR forms were found to be problematic after scrutiny. This is the first time that Shiv Sena has hinted at the possibility of not implementing the NPR.
Similarly, in the above-mentioned press conference, he observed that no individual needed to worry about the CAA as it was legislation to give citizenship to persecuted minorities in neighbouring countries. But post Gandhi's meet, Thackeray tweeted that the legislation 'seems' to not take away one's citizenship. Moreover, he added cast aspersion over the implementation and practicality of the CAA.
What is the Bhima Koregaon case?
Violence had erupted at Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018, where supporters had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. This resulted in the death of one person and leaving several injured. Subsequently, the Pune police arrested persons such as Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, and Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale and P Varavara Rao for allegedly inciting the Bhima Koregoan violence through their speech at the Elgar Parishad meeting on December 31, 2017.
Updated 20:23 IST, February 23rd 2020