Amidst Widespread Backlash, BJP Allies Signal A Step Back On Nationwide NRC

Amidst nationwide protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA), several BJP allies have hinted that a nationwide NRC may not be implemented.

Breaking his silence, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said, ‘’Kaahe ke liye lagu hoga, ek dum nahi hoga’’ (Why should it be implemented? It will not be implemented (in Bihar)”

Lok Janshakti Party President, Chirag Paswan added, “The way demonstrations are taking place in the country, linking CAB with NRC… it’s become clear that the government has been unsuccessful in removing the misconception among an important category.”

Both Kumar and Paswan are BJP allies in Bihar and had voted in favour of CAB in the Parliament.

Chirag Paswan also tweeted a letter he had written to Home Minister on December 6, demanding an NDA meeting to discuss CAB before it was tabled in the Parliament. He further assured that Lok Janshakti Party(LJP) will take note of the concerns of Muslims, Dalits and other weaker sections regarding NRC and oppose any legislation which is not in common people’s interest. He urged the government to allay the apprehensions of protesters by reaching out to them.

लोकसभा और राज्यसभा में बिल पास हो जाने के बाद भी देश में इस बिल को लेकर असंतोष बरक़रार है।एसी परस्तिथि उत्पन्न ना हो इसलियी लोक जनशक्ति पार्टी ने इस विधेयक को सदन में लाने से पहले सहयोगियों से विस्तृत चर्चा करने का आग्रह सरकार से किया था। pic.twitter.com/BOuw51GPjf

— Chirag Paswan (@ichiragpaswan) December 20, 2019

Signalling a climbdown, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi said, “NRC is limited to Assam. There is no plan of NRC in any other part of the country. You are talking about an unborn baby…Spreading rumours about it.”

When prodded about Shah’s repeated statements for an NRC, Naqvi said: “Who is NRC for? It is for Indian nationals. Does it say it’s only for Indian Muslims? No, it does not. NRC, if it at all happens…no government can do it surreptitiously. That is why the government has clarified, issued advertisements and said there’s no process on that yet, no discussion at any level in the government so far on a nationwide NRC.”

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav was further quoted in The Indian Express, “Right now, the focus is on CAA. NRC is an activity Home Minister has announced to be taken up in 2021. No details have been made available to us. It is premature to talk about it.’’

This is in contrast to the stand reiterated by Amit Shah that NRC will follow CAA and every illegal Indian will be picked up ‘one by one.’

While JDU vice-president Prashant Kishore had stated last week that Nitish doesn’t support NRC, this is the first time Nitish Kumar has publicly spoken against it. He has now joined a list of chief ministers, including Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Pinarayi Vijayan, who have opposed nationwide NRC.

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