Patna, December 27: The row in Nitish Kumar's JD(U) over support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) has grown exponentially. On Friday, the party’s minority cell general secretary Khawaja Shahid resigned from his post and the party. The development comes even as Bihar Chief Minister ruled out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state. The Janata Dal (United) on Thursday said that it cannot support the National Population Register (NPR) drive till the central government address all confusions and apprehensions, The Indian Express reported. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and in Bihar. JDU had supported the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha. However, Nitish Kumar has since opposed NRC and said that it will not be implemented in Bihar.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi pointed out contradictions between statements made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Minister of State, Home, Kiran Rijju on NPR and NRC. "Even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the NPR is not linked to NRC, Union minister of state for home affairs Kiran Rijju said that NPR is the first step to NRC… There has been a lot of confusions, which need to be cleared and all the apprehensions need to be allayed," Tyagi was quoted as saying. NRC Row: No Proposal For Nationwide National Register of Citizen Based on NPR Data, Says Government.

Asked whether the JD(U) government will initiate the process of updating NPR in Bihar, Tyagi asserted: "There are contradictions in government’s old and new statements. We are questioning the very validity of the NPR. The JD(U) is not going to support it till the government’s representatives, especially Union home minister clarifies its stand with more transparency." Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala and Rajasthan have stayed work pertaining to NPR.

JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor has been speaking against the NRC. On Thursday, Kishor took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that "no discussion over NRC" has taken place, saying it was a "tactical retreat" in the face of nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 09:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).