Congress' Manish Tewari says Uddhav Thackeray requires briefing on citizenship rules, Maharashtra CM should know NPR is basis of NRC

New Delhi: Former Union minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari has said that the Maharashtra chief minister requires a briefing on the citizenship amendment rules of 2003 to understand how the National Population Register (NPR) is the basis of National Register of Citizens (NRC).

File image of Manish Tewari. PTI

"Chief minister Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray requires a briefing on Citizenship Amendment Rules 2003 to understand how NPR is basis of NRC. Once you do NPR you can not stop NRC. On CAA needs to be reacquainted with design of Indian Constitution that religion can not be basis of Citizenship," Tewari tweeted on Saturday.

The comments assume significance as the Shiv Sena and Congress are part of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

The statement came a day after Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Friday.

The Maharashtra chief minister had stated that he discussed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), NRC and NPR in his meeting with the Prime Minister and no one should be scared of the new Citizenship law.

"We have discussed the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. I have already cleared my stance on these issues. This law (CAA) is not to take away citizenship from anyone. However, this law is about giving citizenship to the minorities of the neighboring countries. No one should be scared of CAA," Thackeray said at a press conference after meeting the Prime Minister.

"Regarding the NRC, the Centre has said that it will not be held nationwide. As for the NPR and Census, Census is conducted every 10 years and I have assured all my state's residents that their citizenship will not be taken away," he added.