Owaisi warns Centre of protests if CAA not repealed

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has asked the Centre to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said that if it is not repealed then protesters will “take to streets in Uttar Pradesh and make another Shaheen Bagh”. Reacting to Owaisi’s statement, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday slammed Owaisi and said that Owaisi shares the bond of uncle and nephew with the Bharatiya Janata Party and can ask directly from BJP whatever he wants.

“I demand from the Bharatiya Janata Party government to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),” Owaisi said while addressing a public meeting in Barabanki. Owaisi said that the Centre should consider of repealing CAA in the same manner in which the three farm laws have been repealed.

“If the government makes the law on the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) then we will hit the streets again, we will make Shaheen Bagh here too. I myself would come here,” he added. “The farmers do not trust the government, they say that when the Parliament starts and the bill is introduced, then we will decide,” he said.

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, AIMIM announced that it will contest elections on 100 seats out of the 403 Assembly seats. The party said it is in talks with other parties to form an alliance.

Owaisi said, “Our party has decided to contest elections on 100 seats. We are in talks with one or two more parties and time will tell, if we form an alliance or not. We are surely in a position to win the elections.”

“It is true that in Uttar Pradesh, the presence of AIMIM has become very strong. And today, we are in this position that we will win the election and get lots of votes too, InshaAllah,” he said. Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go for Assembly polls in 2022.

Meanwhile, a report from Lucknow quoted Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait as saying on Monday: “Owaisi and BJP share a bond of ‘chacha-bhatija’ (uncle-nephew). He should not talk about this on TV, he can just ask directly.” Tikait’s statement came during a Kisan Mahapanchayat organized by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers unions, in Lucknow on Monday.

“Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni should be sacked. Make a law on MSP. Take care of 750 farmers who died. There is a policy coming for milk also, we are against that too, there is also a seed law. Want to discuss all this,” Tikait added.