KCR Says Telangana Will Soon Pass Resolution Against 'Unconstitutional' Amended Citizenship Act

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday broke his silence on the Citizenship Amendment At (CAA), saying the state assembly will soon pass a resolution against the contentious legislation.

"The CAA is a 100% wrong decision by the Centre," said Rao. "India is a country of people, not religions. There is no way we will support something which is against a particular section of the people."

If done, Telangana will become the fourth state, after Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan, to pass such a resolution.

Rao said the Supreme Court should take suo moto cognisance and scrap the CAA.

Hearing a batch of petitions on January 22, the apex court made it clear that it will not grant any stay on the CAA, giving the Centre four weeks to respond.

"This (CAA) is against the Constitution and I personally told Home Minister Amit Shah that I am against this Bill," said Rao, clarifying that he had spoken to Shah on the phone.

Rao said he has spoken to several chief ministers on the CAA. His Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is secular by its policy and nature and it had opposed the CAA, he said.

The TRS had voted against the amendment to citizenship law in Parliament last month.

"I have spoken to 16 chief ministers and a few of the regional parties not in power — they are all worried," he said. "In the coming month, there is a high possibility that I will host a mega conclave of all chief ministers in Hyderabad."

Rao said that the Centre had taken a wrong decision to implement the CAA as the Constitution provides fundamental rights to all people, irrespective of religions, castes and creed. As such, keeping Muslims outside the purview of the Act itself pained him, he said.

Citing a newspaper report which said India is being converted into a Hindu state under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rao said the country should not be of a one religion state and that such a "branding" was not good for the country.

"I will definitely discuss the matter in the Budget session and pass a resolution in the assembly against it," he said, suggesting that the NDA government do a rethink on the CAA in view of the nationwide protests against it.

"I appeal to the Prime Minister to rethink on the CAA. It is not at all good for the country. There are so many doubts over it and ministers are making self-contradictory statements. These are not good for the nation," Rao said.

The chief minister's statement came on the day when his TRS set to sweep the urban local body polls in the state. The counting of votes is still under progress.

(With inputs from PTI)