There was no mention of CAA, NRC or NPR in Telangana governor”s address to the joint sitting of both houses of the state legislature on Friday but Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao assured the opposition that a resolution will be passed on the issue. Though the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has taken a stand against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), there was no reference to the same in Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan”s address to joint sitting of Assembly and Council on the first day of the budget session.
Contrary to expectations that the Governor”s speech will contain comments against CAA and National Population Register (NPR), it was silent on the issue. Ever since the Chief Minister drove to Raj Bhavan to personally handover the speech copy to the governor two days ago, there were reports that it contains comments about CAA and NPR. There were even speculations if the governor will read the text as it is or follow his Telangana counterpart Arif Mohammed Khan, who added a para on his own to express his opinion on CAA. However, during the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting following the governor”s address, Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao said the Assembly would discuss and pass a resolution on CAA, NPR and NRC.
At the meeting chaired by Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi demanded that the resolution be passed not just against CAA but also against NPR and NRC. State minister Prashanth Reddy told the media after the BAC meeting that the chief minister said the House would discuss and pass a resolution. AIMIM legislator Ahmed Pasha Quadri told reporters outside the Assembly that the TRS government should stay the NPR as done by Kerala.
“There is unease among people as NPR is scheduled to begin from April 1. The government should stay the process,” he said. Another AIMIM MLA Ahmed Balala said NPR should be stayed as it would all the poor irrespective of their religions or castes. Meanwhile, the BAC decided that the budget session will last till March 20. The budget will be presented on March 8.
