NCP echoes Sena's stance, says 'Amit Shah no lesser than General Dyer' over CAA protests

NCP leader Nawab Malik lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday over the police action against those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), comparing him to "General Dyer". Malik's tweet targeting Shah echoed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's criticism. Thackeray's Shiv Sena has formed a coalition with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra, had equated the action against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi during an anti-CAA protest to the massacre at the Jallianwala Bagh.

"Just like General Dyer fired at the Jallianwala Bagh, Amit shah is firing on people. He is not less than General Dyer," Malik, the chief spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party, said in a tweet. Reginald Dyer, a British Army officer, ordered firing into a crowd at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, killing at least 400 persons.

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The Shiv Sena is not part of a front formed by various organisations to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in Mumbai on Thursday. When Mumbai Congress president Eknath Gaikwad was asked why the Shiv Sena was not part of the front, called 'Hum Bharat Ke Log', he said the protest was organised by NGOs and not his party.  The Shiv Sena had earlier supported the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, but staged a walkout during voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, saying the party's queries on the bill were not answered.

Home Ministry issues clarification on CAA

Amid the on-going protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Home Ministry sources on Tuesday, December 17, clarified that "the act has nothing to do with deportation of any foreigner or with the National Register of Citizens (NRC)." The sources further clarified that the CAA does not interfere with any Indian citizen.

Speaking about the deportation of foreigners, sources said, "The deportation process of any foreigner irrespective of his religion or country is implemented as per the mandate of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and/or The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. These two laws govern entry, stay, movement within India and exit from India of all foreigners irrespective of their religion or country." Further, the MHA sources outlined that the deportation process would apply to any illegal foreigner staying in India.

The Home Ministry sources confuted the interlinking of the CAA with the NRC. According to the sources, "The legal provisions regarding NRC have been part of The Citizenship Act, 1955 since December 2004. Also, there are specific statutory rules of 2003 to operationalise these legal provisions. They govern the process of registration of Indian citizens and the issuance of national identity cards to them. These legal provisions have been on the statute books for the last 15-16 years. The CAA has not altered them in any way whatsoever."

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