Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Mar 8 : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Saturday said in the state Assembly that he himself did not have a birth certificate and asked how he could then produce the certificate of his father. He also wondered how poor people would be able to produce such documents.
"I don't have a birth certificate, how will Dalits, backward classes and poor people of the country have one?" Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
The chief minister said that the Centre should introduce a national identity card for the citizens.
"Today I don't have a government birth certificate. I was born in a village where there was no hospital back then. We would just request the priest of that village to write our name. I still have that letter which was written by the priest," said Rao during an address in the state assembly.
"My father itself couldn't arrange for a valid birth certificate so how will Dalits, SC's/ST's and poor people have one. Instead of asking for a birth certificate, I would suggest having one national identity card," he added.
He further said that a separate session will be conducted in the state on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) where all the members have a chance to represent their view on the said bill.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi came out in support of Rao and said that the process of National Population Register (NPR), which is set to begin from April 1.
Taking to Twitter, he said: "@TelanganaCMO is right. NPR-NRC is designed to leave us to the mercy of babu's discretion. People of Telangana must not have to face such indignity. It'll affect the poorest the most. NPR must be stayed in the state."
( With inputs from ANI )