Pune, December 21: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday hit out at the Modi government, saying the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will disturb communal harmony in the country. Sharad Pawar said that not just minorities but all who wish for unity among citizens were opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. Pawar advised the Maharashtra government not to implement the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Anti-CAA Protests in Uttar Pradesh: Death Toll Rises to 11, Police Deny Firing at Protesters.

"Not just minorities, but those who care for the country’s unity and progress are opposing CAA and NRC. The new citizenship law will disturb and hurt religious and social unity and harmony of the country," Pawar was quoted as saying in Pune. The NCP leader sought to know why Tamilians from Sri Lanka were not included under the amended law, adding that the CAA and the National Register of Citizens are for deflecting attention from real issues. Balasaheb Thackeray Wouldn't Have Liked Axing Trees for Memorial, Says Sharad Pawar.

"CAA and NRC are ploys to divert people’s attention from serious issues that the country is facing," he told reporters. Eight states, including Bihar, ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally, have refused to implement the law and Maharashtra should also take a similar stand, Pawar said in response to a query as reported by PTI. "The CAA may be a central act, but the implementation will be done by the state agencies. But do the states have resources and machinery to do so," he asked.

The Shiv Sena, an ally of the NCP and the Congress in Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, did not vote in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that his party decided to boycott the voting over politicisation of the issue. However, the Shiv Sena supported the legislation in Lok Sabha "in the national interest".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2019 02:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).