Kolkata: Describing the National Population Register (NPR) process as a “disguised” National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday said his party would not allow the NPR to be rolled out on April 1.
He alleged that the BJP-led NDA government “changed gear” after the NRC “fiasco” in Assam and announced they wouldn’t go for the NRC, but carry out the NPR exercise.
“As far as we are concerned, NPR is a disguised NRC. And we will not agree to the NPR being rolled out on April 1,” said the former Union minister, who was in the state to conduct a leadership training camp where he explained the implications of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NPR.
“Our purpose is to fight the sinister purpose of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Population of Register (NPR) and mobilise public opinion against them. “Our stated position is that we will not agree to NPR being rolled out from April 2020,” he said.
The Congress leader said, the Constitutional validity of CAA lies with the Supreme Court. “We are fighting against NRC and CAA. Sometimes together, sometimes differently. The important thing is that we are fighting. “All parties fighting against NPR, CAA and NRC must come together and I am confident they will,” he said. He said that the BJP had failed to gauge the strength of the opposition and thought it as a ‘passing cloud’.
Chidambaram hoped the state party leaders would take the campaign forward to all parts of Bengal and explain to the people “the sinister purpose of the CAA, the mischief behind the NPR and mobilise public opinion against CAA”. (Agencies)
