Hyderabad: Union railway minister Piyush Goyal today urged the TRS government to reverse its cabinet decision on CAA and extend cooperation to the Modi government for the development of the country.
Addressing a press conference here, Piyush Goyal, who was in the city, expressed concern on the decision of Telangana state cabinet to pass a resolution in the state assembly against CAA and requested the central government to abrogate the new law passed by the parliament.
The CAA is now law of the land and Modi government has brought it with a good intention to provide citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian and Parsi refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who faced religious persecution, the union minister asserted.
Piyush Goyal clarified that the CAA is neither infringed the rights of any Indian citizen nor it does injustice to any Indian citizen irrespective of any religion. The CAA was passed by the parliament only to accord citizenship to those minorities who faced religious persecution in three neighboring Islamic countries, he further stated.
He urged chief minister KCR not to politicize the issue for pretty politics as CAA was brought on humanitarian ground. Opposing CAA is insulting the parliament and constitution of India written by Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, he contended. He said even opposition leaders including former prime minister Manmohan Singh also advocated for according to citizenship to these people and even eminent lawyer and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had said that no state government can oppose the law passed by the parliament.
Criticizing the TRS government, the union minister said it was unfortunate that chief minister KCR is indulging in the appeasement of minorities under the pressure probably from Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. It was unfortunate that the TRS government has been reduced to act on the instructions of Owaisi who is openly indulging in religious politics, he alleged and expressed hope that the TRS government would not do anything which would hurt sentiments of Indians.
Goyal urged people of Telangana not to believe false propaganda being spread by opposition parties on CAA. Replying to a query, he said the Modi government never opposed reservations to SCs and STs. He said the central government has been continuously extending support for the faster development of Telangana state.
Union home minister of state G Kishan Reddy, state BJP president Dr. K Laxman and BJP MPs, state party official spokesperson N V Subhash and others were also present at the press conference.