JD(U) leader seeks Nitish’s intervention
› ... in consonance with your (Nitish’s) own publicly stated views, and long established secular vision, may I request you now to take a principled stand against the CAA-NPR-NRC scheme. PAVAN VARMA , Janata Dal (United) general secretary
PATNA: Janata Dal (United) general secretary Pavan Varma on Sunday urged party president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to reject the “divisive” Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) that have the “nefarious agenda to divide India”.
Varma’s comments come a day after Bihar deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Modi said the updation process of NPR, a register of ‘usual residents’ of the country, will be held in the state from May 15 to June 28 this year.
On Sunday, he also circulated a Bihar government gazette notification to this effect, dated December 18. Varma, however, said that Modi made the announcement unilaterally.
Opposition parties have accused the Centre of attempting to bring in a pan-india NRC in the “garb” of NPR.
The BJP, an ally of the JD(U), has denied the charge and maintained that the two are not interlinked.
The governments of West Bengal and Kerala have put NPR updation on hold in their respective states.
“... in consonance with your own publicly stated views, and long established secular vision, may I request you now to take a principled stand against the Caa [citizenship (Amendment) Act] -NPR-NRC scheme, and reject its nefarious agenda to divide India and create a great deal of unnecessary social turbulence,” Varma said in an open letter to Nitish.
Asking Nitish to take a public stand against CAA, NPR and NRC, Varma said: “A clear cut public statement by you to this effect would be a major step towards preserving and strengthening the idea of India to which, I know, you yourself are committed. The politics of principle cannot be sacrificed at the altar of short term political gain,” Varma said in the letter. The JD(U) had voted for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in both House of Parliament.
On December 20, Nitish had said NRC will not be implemented in the state, becoming the first major NDA ally to reject the measure. “Kaahe ka NRC? Bilkul laagu nahin hoga” (NRC, what for? Will not at all be implemented),” he had said on the sidelines of an event in Patna.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nikhil Anand responded to Verma’s letter. “Sir, India is not America which has dual citizenship. Do you want the State Govt to take independent decision on issues related to citizenship and Census which is the sole jurisdiction of the Union Government & Parliament as per the Constitution of India?” he tweeted, reminding him that “NPR is a nationwide exercise, which will start at the same time in all states and the Bihar government has already notified the updation of NPR from May 15 to June 28”.