The Joint Action Committee (JAC) against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Saturday said that it would stage a protest in front of the Telangana Assembly, if Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao does not take a stand against the controversial law.
The JAC, comprising 40 Muslim and Dalit organisations, also asked KCR to cancel the process of the National Population Register (NPR) by March 18, failing which its members would storm the Assembly.
Speaking to reporters, JAC convenor Mohammed Mushtaq Malik also said that their leaders were being harassed by the police. He urged the Chief Minister to withdraw the cases that had been filed against those who participated in anti-CAA protests, including the Million March in January.
Tens of thousands of people participated in a massive protest against the CAA in Hyderabad on January 4 at Dharna Chowk and Tank Bund, after a call from the JAC to host a 'Million March'. After the event, the organisers were booked by the Hyderabad police for 'violating the permission granted by authorities'. The JAC leaders have since filed a complaint with the Telangana Minorities Commission on the matter.
Last week, while speaking in the Assembly, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao came down heavily on the provisions that seek a birth certificate, and that of parents, to establish one's identity in the NPR.
"When I was born, we had 580 acres of land and a building. When I can’t produce my birth certificate, how will Dalits, STs (Scheduled Tribes) and poor people produce their certificates? From where will they bring it?" he asked, adding, "When I don’t have a birth certificate, how can I produce the certificate of my father? Should I die then?"
KCR also alleged that CAA disrespected the fundamental principle of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality of religion, caste or creed.
So far, states like Kerala, Punjab and Delhi have passed resolutions against CAA in their respective Legislative Assemblies.