Owaisi says nationwide NRC would be ‘100 times worse’ for minorities; UCC aimed at ‘targeting Muslims’

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be “100 times worse”, citing the difficulties faced by minorities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and migrants during the exercise in Assam.

“NRC is going to be 100 times worse. We’ve already seen how disastrous the NRC has been in Assam. It has caused immense trouble, especially for minorities, SC/STs and migrants,” Owaisi said in a post on X.

He said an NRC would require people to prove their citizenship by producing documents and questioned how those dependent on government rations would be able to establish their citizenship.

“NRC will force everyone to stand in line and prove their citizenship. In a country where 80 crore people depend on ration for food, you want them to find documents and prove their citizenship? To what end?” he said.

Drawing a parallel with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Owaisi said ordinary people were being asked to appear for hearings with documents.

“This government wants us to be at the mercy of one babu or another,” he said.

Owaisi also alleged that the BJP-led government's intention was to conduct the NRC after the SIR.

“The NRC would once again force people to stand in queues,” he said, describing the SIR as a “nasty joke”.

Owaisi also took strong exception to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029, alleging that the BJP wanted to target Muslims.

He alleged that the BJP and Shah were seeking to implement the UCC in violation of Article 25, which guarantees freedom of religion, and Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality, of the Constitution.

“BJP is not doing this (implementation of UCC) for equality. This is only to target Muslims,” he told reporters.

Observing that the “soul” of the country was its pluralism, Owaisi claimed that a Uniform Civil Code would amount to imposing Hindu law on non-Hindus.

He said the Law Commission appointed by the NDA government had concluded that a UCC was neither necessary nor desirable.

Citing the different provisions of the UCC in Goa, he asked whether Shah and the BJP would implement the UCC followed in BJP-ruled states such as Uttarakhand in the western state. He also questioned whether NDA leaders such as N Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar and Chirag Paswan would endorse the provisions of the UCC.

Shah on Sunday said BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would introduce the UCC before 2029.

“Triple talaq has been abolished, giving Muslim women equal rights. We have introduced the Uniform Civil Code in several states, and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA-ruled states, we will introduce the UCC before 2029,” Shah said in Mumbai.

Owaisi also slammed Shah, saying his “misplaced arrogance” and “chronology” had triggered the anti-CAA/NRC protests in 2019. He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had subsequently said that there would be no NRC.

His remarks came a day after Shah said the NRC would be implemented in Manipur using the 1951 baseline before the Assembly elections.

Asked about a timeline for implementing the NRC nationwide, Shah said the government was discussing the matter with its allies and political parties in Manipur.

“We are discussing these issues with our allies and also with the political parties of Manipur. Whatever decision is taken, we will inform you,” he said.

Owaisi also questioned the government's handling of India-China relations following the BRICS summit in Delhi, asking whether improved bilateral ties meant India had lost its patrolling rights along the India-China border.

He alleged that China had provided weapons to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and asked why the government “fears Trump (US President Donald Trump) and China so much”.

Taking a dig at Shah, Owaisi said those who could not stop the alleged theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya were talking about the UCC and NRC.

On the controversy over the full rendition of Vande Mataram, he questioned whether making it mandatory would be contrary to the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.

He also objected to India playing sports against Pakistan, alleging that the government was allowing the BCCI to make money through television rights. He said the “heavens would not fall” if India did not play a cricket match against Pakistan.

On the BRICS summit, Owaisi questioned why the government had not taken steps to link the BRICS digital currency, which he said had been discussed by an RBI deputy governor.

He also criticised only vegetarian dishes being served at the summit, alleging that the ruling dispensation was trying to impose the majority's preferences on minorities in matters of food.

Regarding the West Bengal government's order to close 252 madrassas over lack of approvals, Owaisi alleged that it reflected hatred towards Islam and violated Article 30 of the Constitution, which deals with the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)