Sitaram Yechury urges KCR not to implement NPR in Telangana

Hyderabad: Welcoming Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's decision of not implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday asked him not to put into effect the National Population Register (NPR) as well.

Addressing the media, Yechury said that the NPR is the foundation for the NRC. It was for this reason that the Chief Ministers of Kerala, West Bengal and others have decided not to implement even NRP in their respective States.

Giving reasons for his party's opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA), NRC and NPR, he said that the CAA line of thinking of the BJP government is reflecting in the NRC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed in a public meeting that his government did not even discuss the NRC from the time he had come to power in 2014.

But, "Then the Minister of State for Home Affairs had given a written reply to a question I have raised in the Rajya Sabha that the government intended to carry out NPR based on which NRC would be enumerated and it would be implemented across the country."

Adding further, he said about eight times in Parliment the Centre had announced its intention to bring NRC. "I don't believe that the PM does not know it," he said.

Alleging that the government is encouraging violence in Uttar Pradesh, the CPM leader said, that the big protests against CAA were met with police action resulting 21 out of 27 deaths took place in the State alone due to the bullets fired by the police. Though the UP police had denied firing the same being now admitting.

Yechury condemned the statement of Army chief Army Chief Bipin Rawat on the anti-CAA protest. The CPM general secretary said, it was the first time that the highest authority in the uniform has expressed certain views on domestic politics.

The government of the day should take note of this dangerous trend against the constitution and democracy otherwise, it will end like what is happening in Pakistan.

However, several Union Ministers have given clean chit to the Army chief that he did not say anything objectionable, he added.

Praising the students protests across the country, the CPM general secretary said, they have come out of the campuses to bring back democracy.

Currently students across the campuses in the country are protesting for secularism and protecting the constitution.

The CPM leaders said by implementing the NPR by the current government will put poor people in the country to hardships.

The discriminatory agenda of the current government might lead to religious clashes and asking citizens to prove their citizenship is in violation and against the constitution, he said.