JAIPUR: After West Bengal took the lead, followed by Left-run Kerala, the Rajasthan government now has refused to work on compiling the National Population Register (NPR, mandated by the Centre to record ‘basic information’ on citizens.
Responding to a question at a press meet last Saturday (December 21) on whether the state will implement NPR, chief minister Ashok Gahlot said, “It is not possible.” The NPR exercise was scheduled to be conducted from April to September next year.
While Bengal issued the order on stalling NPR work on Monday, Kerala followed suit on Friday.
NPR is a register of Indian residents prepared at the village, sub-district, district and national levels. Registering names under NPR is mandatory for citizens who have lived in an area for six months and intend to stay there for the next six months (at least). Apparently, NPR is the first step towards compiling the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Stating that bringing Citizenship (Amendment) Act along with NRC was PM Narendra Modi-led government’s trick to polarise the nation, Gehlot also demanded that the Centre repeal the CAA and added that both “do not deserve” to be implemented in the country as it will affect people belonging to all communities.
Gahlot also accused Modi, Amit Shah and the BJP of trying to divide the country in the name of religion so that they could gain in the coming elections. “They (BJP, Modi and Shah) want to push the country in (an atmosphere of) hatred but we will not let this happen,” he said.
“When the government could not implement NRC in Assam… in so many years, how will it be successful in implementing the same in the entire country?” Gehlot asked.
“Their own partymen (BJP) in the state (Assam) is opposed to the manner in which NRC has been implemented. Now, they want the people of the whole country to stand in a queue and prove their citizenship,” he added.