Telugu Church: CAA, NPR, NCR are anti-poor, discriminatory; fear grips minorities

By A Representative
The Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC), at its Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) on March 3, 2020, has "outrightly" rejected the manner in which Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Registry of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) are proposed to be implemented in India.
Participated by top Telengana and Andhra Pradesh Church leaders -- archbishops, bishops, heads of churches and leaders of Christian denominations -- at the of St John’s Regional Seminary, Hyderabad, a statement issued at the end of the meet said, they particularly take exception to NPR's new enumeration forms, which unlike in the past, create "fear in the most of the citizens."
Pointing out that the government's stance on CAA, NPR and NCR has led to "violent protests all over our country, resulting in some states like UP and Delhi in many deaths and lot of destruction", the statement says, "CAA links citizenship with religion for the first time, treating Muslims differently from other religions, violating the right to equality and secularism enshrined in our Constitution."
Noting that "Muslims across India rightly feel threatened as it will be easier now to label them illegal under NRC", the statement says, "This will lead to unequal citizenship to which any other religious or caste communities can easily be added in the future."
"Welcoming" the move to give citizenship to "persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries", the statement however says, "This should be done without excluding anyone and irrespective of one’s religious or ideological affiliations". It undrlines the need to "check the infiltrators, illegal migrants, extremists and terrorists to whichever religious or ideological group they may belong."

Stating that the existing citizenship rules have "sufficient provisions" which allow authorities to verify whether those seeking refuge in India are facing persecution, the statement says, CAA excludes Muslims, which "goes against the very soul of our nation and the spirit of Indian civilization which has always cherished the values of hospitality, inclusiveness, tolerance and acceptance of all without any discrimination and differentiation."

There is a lurking danger that poor, landless, women, minorities, Dalits, Adivasis, illiterates, nomadic, migrant communities may be labelled doubtful citizens

According to the statement, with changes being made in the citizenship law, "the present NPR and NRC processes affect everyone, not only Muslims. They are hazardous to anyone who cannot show the documents of their birth and of their parents", adding, this has "already happened in Assam", where "poor, landless, women, minorities, Dalits, Adivasis, illiterates, and nomadic and migrant communities" belonging to any religion have been affected.
It says, "There is a lurking grave danger that most of them would be labelled 'doubtful citizens', and end up losing their citizenship and along with it their basic fundamental rights such as rights to vote and own property, and the constitutional privileges such as reservations."
"Thus", it adds, "This process will result in the supremacy and domination of the Hindu “upper castes” and lead toward establishing Hindu Rastra and undermine the Ambedkarian Constitution that was born out of Independent struggle."
The statement demands that the governments, both at the Centre and States, stop the whole process of CAA, NCR and NPR "until the threats and fears are allayed, and proper assurances, needed amendments and required guarantees are put in place."

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

The ultimate all-time ODI XI: A personal selection of icons across eras

By Harsh Thakor* This is my all-time best XI chosen for ODI (One Day International) cricket: 1. Adam Gilchrist (W) – The absolute master blaster who could create the impact of exploding gunpowder with his electrifying strokeplay. No batsman was more intimidating in his era. Often his knocks decided the fate of games as though the result were premeditated. He escalated batting strike rates to surreal realms.

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

Search This Blog