Bihar assembly passes resolution against NRC
Says NPR should be implemented in the 2010 format
PATNA: Bihar assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution holding that the National Population Register (NPR) in the state would be implemented in the old 2010 format, save the inclusion of an additional column for transgender, and also rejected the Centre’s bid to carry out the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Bihar is the first Nda-ruled state, which has demanded tweaking of the revised NPR form by dropping new columns such as mentioning the dates of birth of an individual’s parents and their birth place in the soon-to-be launched nationwide survey of usual residents of the country. Those living in a particular place for six months are defined as usual residents.
Earlier, Kerala and West Bengal decided not to implement the NPR in their states. Congressruled Punjab announced that it would conduct the NPR in line with the 2010 format. Several opposition-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal and Kerala have passed resolutions against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). While, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-ruled Goa and Himachal Pradesh have passed resolutions in favour of the CAA.
In Bihar assembly, the resolution was passed when leader of the opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, brought an adjournment motion demanding a debate on the CAA, the NRC and the NPR seeking the government’s clarification regarding apprehensions about contentious issues. A special debate was allowed by Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary after ruckus inside the house during pre-lunch session.
The resolution was passed with full support of both the ruling and opposition parties and is also seen as a move by chief minister (CM), Nitish Kumar, to weaken the opposition Rashtriya Janala Dal (Rjd)-congress’s ongoing campaign against him of not allaying the fears about the NPR and the NRC and ignoring the interests of the Mahadalits and minorities, who hold key to the assembly election to be held later this year.
“I am not convinced about the inclusion of additional columns in the latest NPR form like the one seeking details of an individual’s parents’ birth place and their dates of birth. I do not know the date of birth of my mother. Besides, the option of keeping the column blank in the modified NPR form could land an individual in trouble, in case, the NRC is introduced in the near future,” said the CM while pushing for passing a resolution on modifying the NPR form and rejecting the NRC amid heated debate in the assembly.
Kumar said the state government had written to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India on February 15, demanding that the additional columns of the new NPR form, except the column seeking details about transgender, be droppe. He said his party, Janata Dal (United)’s, alliance partner, the BJP, is also on the same page with him over holding the NPR in the old format. On the NRC, Kumar quoted PM Narendra Modi’s clarification that there is no such proposal. “The PM has made it clear,” he said. State finance minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, urged the opposition not to spread misinformation about the NPR and the NRC.