Patna: The Bihar Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution to not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state. The Assembly also passed a resolution to implement the National Population Register (NPR) but in its 2010 form, with an amendment.
On the second day, after Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi presented the Budget for the financial year 2020-21, a proposal was presented for not implementing the NRC. The proposal received a nod from all the members, thereafter, Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary announced the decision.
‘Contentious clauses’ in NPR form
“The Bihar government has written to the Centre seeking the omission of ‘contentious clauses’ from the NPR forms,” said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the state assembly.
Speaking further in the Assembly, Chief Minister Kumar said that people in rural areas do not have birth proofs. He also said, “I myself do not know the date of birth of my mother. In no case should NRC be implemented in the state. Whatever issues the state assembly has discussed will be sent to the Central government.”
Caste-based census
“Our demand is that caste-based census should be held in the country,” he added.
Earlier on January 13, the Bihar Chief Minister said that there is no question of implementing the NRC in the state and asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified his stance on the proposed exercise.
“No question of NRC in Bihar. It was in discussions only in the context of Assam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also clarified on it,” Kumar had said in the state assembly, whose JD-U is an ally of the BJP.
Tejashwi Yadav thanks colleagues
After the resolution for not implementing the NRC passed in the Assembly, RJD leader and Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, congratulated and thanked the colleagues of all the parties including his party.
He said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal became a voice of the people and fought on this issue from street to house. The result of this is that the ruling party was forced to surrender today.