NPR 2020: Congress-Ruled States May Opt For 'Non-Cooperation' Over National Population Register
After passing a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Congress-ruled states may also refuse to carry out the National Population Register (NPR) exercise.
New Delhi, January 22: After passing a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Congress-ruled states may also refuse to carry out the National Population Register (NPR) exercise. The Congress has called the NPR a "precursor" to the National Register of Citizens or NRC. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also said that the Citizenship Amendment Act cannot be implemented unless the NPR exercise is conducted. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.
"The notification was issued for the NPR process to start on April 1, 2020. CAA can only be operationalised if you do a door-to-door enumeration under the NPR, which starts only on April 1. So, today it is not an issue," Sibal was quoted by Times of India as saying. The refusal to conduct the NPR exercise can serve Congress's political objective as well as hold the implementation of the CAA. Why Assam and Neighbouring States Are Up in Protest Against Citizenship Amendment Act.
Sibal, however, maintained that once the Supreme Court upholds the amended law, everyone will have to follow it. "When the Supreme Court decides the matter (CAA) one way or the other, that will be the law of the country, like Ram Janmabhoomi. So once the SC declares the law, that is binding on everybody," the former Union minister said. The Kerala government has also decided to inform the Census Commissioner that the state will not implement the NPR.
The Congress earlier decided to pass a resolution against the CAA in every state where it is in power. Punjab and Kerala have already passed anti-CAA resolutions."After Punjab, we are thinking about bringing a resolution against the CAA in states like Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh. It would be a clear message to the central government to reconsider the Act," senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said.
The opposition has alleged that the CAA, which grants Indian citizenship to migrants of all key faiths barring Islam, and NRC together would discriminate against Muslims. While non-Muslims left out of the NRC could be able to get citizenship under the CAA, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported or sent to detention centres.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2020 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).