Hyderabad: BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao on Friday criticised AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi over his remarks on passports and citizenship. He asserted that a passport was not conclusive proof of Indian citizenship and accused the Congress and AIMIM of spreading misinformation about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference, Ramchander Rao cited a 2013 Bombay High Court judgment and said a passport was a travel document rather than definitive proof of citizenship. He also said Owaisi, being a barrister, should study the law before making such statements.
Passport citizenship remarks spark political exchange
Referring to the Dalai Lama, Ramchander Rao claimed that possessing an Indian passport did not automatically establish Indian citizenship. He argued that the Congress and AIMIM were using misleading claims about the SIR process, similar to what he described as misinformation during the debate on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Furthermore, he urged citizens not to believe what he called false propaganda regarding the voter list revision exercise.
Passport citizenship remarks followed by water-sharing demand
The BJP leader also raised the Tungabhadra water issue and asked Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to disclose details of his discussions with Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.
Ramchander Rao alleged that Telangana was receiving only 5 TMC of Tungabhadra water against what he described as its rightful share of 15.9 TMC. He also accused both the Congress and the BRS of compromising Telangana’s interests in securing its share of Godavari river waters.