Shiv Sena To Abstain From Anti-CAA Protests, Uddhav Thackeray Asks About Settlement Plan Of Immigrants

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying that he doesn't think the Narendra Modi government has any plan for the settlement of Hindu immigrants from other countries. "I would like to know how and where the Hindus from other countries are going to be settled. I don't think you (Centre) have a plan for it," Thackeray said targeting the government over the new citizenship law.

Thackeray's party Shiv Sena had earlier supported the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha with some suggestions, but staged a walkout during voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, saying there was no clarity on questions raised over it by the party. The Sena has also decided to abstain from protests against the law, even as it has raised some questions over the amended law.

The Maharashtra chief minister has already announced that the Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented in the state pending Supreme Court's decision on please challenging its constitutional validity. "Let us first see what the court decides on CAA, we will clear our stance on it then," Thackeray had told news agency ANI on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the Shiv Sena chief had slammed the Narendra Modi government over the alleged police atrocities against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University. Speaking at an event in Nagpur, the Maharashtra chief minister compared the Jamia crackdown with Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. "India will be the country of largest youth. By 2022. It is youth bomb and don't try to explode that," Thackeray had warned the Modi government.

Earlier, on questions of CAA implementation, Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat had said, "We will follow the policy of our party's central leadership." Thorat was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.