Ruckus in Maharashtra Assembly as BJP raises CAA, NPR, NRC issue

The MaharashtraLegislative Assembly on Saturday witnessed uproarious scenes when opposition BJP raised the issue of the CAA, NRC and NPR.

The treasury benches objected to the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register being raised The issues pending before the Supreme Court and falling under the Union government's purview can not be discussed in state legislature, they said.

During the ruckus, both sides traded charges. The Speaker ordered expunging of most of these remarks. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis raised the issue during a debate on budgetary demands of the Home Department.

The CAA does not take away the citizenship of Indian citizens, "but rumours are being spread about CAA," he said. "In NPR, giving information is optional. The prime minister has already said the NRC is not being implemented," Fadnavis, a former chief minister, said.

Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the BJP leader should speak only on the budgetary demands. Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said Fadnavis himself had said during the winter session that issues under the Centre's purview should not be discussed in the House.

BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar said Fadnavis had not spoken anything negative. "We want misconceptions about the Act to go and there should not be any unrest," he said.

Malik and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the issue of CAA was being heard in the Supreme Court and it could not be discussed in the House. Speaker Nana Patole adjourned the House for 30 minutes when members from both the sides rushed to the well and traded charges.

Later, Patole said objectionable references made by MLAs of both sides will be expungedand matters pending before the Supreme Court will not be discussed. Fadnavis said he raised these issues because there was a lot of unrest among the minorities about the CAA, due to which there were large-scale protests.

Former student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University Umar Khalid made a provocative speech in Maharashtra asking people to show their strength during US President Donald Trump's visit, the BJP leader alleged.

"Isn't this a law and order issue?" he asked, and wondered why the state government had not taken action in this regard. He demanded that the cabinet sub-committee appointed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government to study CAA and advise it should clear misconceptions about the CAA. It is the duty of the government to tell people that nobody needsto worry about citizenship, the BJP leader added.