Anti-CAA Agitation: After West Bengal And Kerala, Rajasthan Government Refuses Updation of NRC-Linked NPR
The Congress-ruled Rajasthan on Saturday joined a list of states where updation of the National Population Register (NPR) has stopped.
Jaipur, December 22: The Congress-ruled Rajasthan on Saturday joined a list of states where updation of the National Population Register (NPR) has stopped. As mandated by the central government, under the NPR, a census will be conducted from house to house across the country from April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020. However, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the exercise will not be possible in his state. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.
"It is not possible," CM Ashok Gehlot was quoted by Times of India as saying when he was asked whether the Rajasthan government will update the NPR. Apparently, the NPR is linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which was carried out in Assam to identify infiltrators. After the Citizenship Amendment Act, the NRC is on the agenda of the Modi government and prior to it, it has ordered renewal of the NPR. CAA Protests: 'Those Born Before 1987 or Whose Parents Are Born Before 1987 Are Indians', Says Government.
The motive behind the NPR is to create a database of the comprehensive identity of common residents of the country. This data will also contain biometric information along with demographics. Any resident residing in any area in the country for six months or more is required to register with the NPR. Earlier, West Bengal and Kerala governments stayed all activities associated with updation of the NPR.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the new citizenship law would not be implemented in the state while her government would also not allow any NRC exercise. Her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan had categorically stated that the CAA would not be implemented in the state.
The CAA provides Indian citizenship to immigrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. Many see the CAA through the prism of nationwide NRC drive. While non-Muslims left out of the proposed nationwide NRC would be able to get citizenship under the CAA, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 22, 2019 09:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).