'Debate with a bearded man' ... Owaisi challenges Amit Shah on CAA

Wed Jan 22 14:51:50 IST 2020

Hyderabad, Jan 22:

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to a debate on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Owaisi's statement came after Shah asserted that the government is determined to implement the CAA and challenged opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav to a debate on the issue.

"Why debate with them? Debate with me," Owaisi was quoted as saying by ANI.

"You should debate with me. I am here. Why debate with them? The debate should be with a bearded man. I can debate with them on CAA, NPR (National Population Register) and NRC (National Register of Citizens)," he stated during an AIMIM rally in Karimnagar, Telangana on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Prashant Kishor has challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) according to the original chronology earlier announced by him.

Kishor was responding to Shah's comments in Lucknow on Tuesday, in which the union minister had asserted that the government is determined to implement the CAA despite a spate of protests across the country.

Kishor took to social media on Wednesday to respond to Amit Shah's statement.

"Being dismissive of citizens’ dissent couldn’t be the sign of strength of any Govt. @amitshah Ji, if you don’t care for those protesting against #CAA_NRC, why don’t you go ahead and try implementing the CAA & NRC in the chronology that you so audaciously announced to the nation!" Kishor wrote on Twitter.

JD-U leaders like Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma have gone against the party line on the CAA issue. They have been vocal against the new law - which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh - although the JD-U has supported the CAA in parliament.

Try to implement CAA & NRC ... JD-U leader challenges Amit Shah

On Tuesday, Amit Shah had thrown a challenge to the opposition, asserting that the government will not withdraw the CAA despite vocal protests by several groups across the country.

"The entire opposition including Mamata, Akhilesh and the communists have been protesting against the CAA. I want to tell them that despite these protests, the CAA will not be withdrawn," Amit Shah thundered while addressing a public event in Lucknow.

"Whoever has to oppose can oppose the act, it is not going to be revoked," he added.

The former BJP president also challenged the opposition to a debate on the CAA.