Will not seek parents’ birthplace detail: BJD

nBHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday announced that a question on the birthplace of residents’ parents will not be asked as part of the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) in the state. It added there will be an additional question related to Other Backward Classes (OBCS) in the state.

“The BJD has a strong objection to question 13 (2) in the NPR questionnaire, which seeks details of the birthplace of parents of a respondent. We have decided to delete the column,” said BJD MP Pinaki Mishra. He said the Centre has clarified that replying to the question is optional.

The NPR is being updated across the country from April to September. Kerala and West Bengal have announced that they will not participate in the exercise. Punjab has also said it will not seek answers to the question on the birthplace of parents. There are fears that this question is linked to the

National Register of Citizens although the government has clarified that there is no link between NPR and NRC.

Mishra said chief minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered the addition of a question in NPR related to whether a resident belongs to the OBC category similar to the one asked in case of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Patnaik has written to the Centre asking for seeking details of OBCS during the NPR exercise.

Officials at the Odisha Census Directorate refused to comment on BJD’S decision.

A former Indian Administrative Service officer, who was involved in NPR of 2010, said there is no problem with a State dropping a particular column if it is optional. “I see no problem in it. But on its own the state can’t add a column,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

As the NPR is notified under the Citizenship Act, a Central law, defying the Centre could result in legal hassles for the state government, if the Centre issues direction on the questions to be included in NPR.