Patna, December 27: After Bihar Chief Minister ruled out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, his Janata Dal (United) on Thursday said that it cannot support the National Population Register (NPR) drive till the central government address all confusions and apprehensions, The Indian Express reported. Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and in Bihar. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi pointed out contradictions between statements made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Minister of State, Home, Kiran Rijju on NPR and NRC. "Even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the NPR is not linked to NRC, Union minister of state for home affairs Kiran Rijju said that NPR is the first step to NRC… There has been a lot of confusions, which need to be cleared and all the apprehensions need to be allayed," Tyagi was quoted as saying. NRC Row: No Proposal For Nationwide National Register of Citizen Based on NPR Data, Says Government.

Asked whether the JD(U) government will initiate the process of updating NPR in Bihar, Tyagi asserted: "There are contradictions in government’s old and new statements. We are questioning the very validity of the NPR. The JD(U) is not going to support it till the government’s representatives, especially Union home minister clarifies its stand with more transparency." Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala and Rajasthan have stayed work pertaining to NPR.

JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor has been speaking against the NRC. On Thursday, Kishor took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that "no discussion over NRC" has taken place, saying it was a "tactical retreat" in the face of nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC.

"The claim of 'Abhi to NRC ki koi charhca hi nahi hui hai' (No discussion over NRC has taken place) is nothing but a tactical retreat in the face of nationwide protests against the CAA and the NRC. It is a pause and not the full stop," he tweeted. The JD(U) leader was referring to the remarks of PM Modi during the BJP's rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on December 22 where he said that no discussion over NRC has taken place.

Despite Kishor's opposition, the JD(U) had supported the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now Citizenship Amendment Act) in Parliament. "Disappointed to see JD-U supporting CAB that discriminates right of citizenship on the basis of religion," he had written after the JD(U) supported the Bill in Rajya Sabha.

The CAA provides Indian citizenship to immigrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. Many see the CAA through the prism of nationwide NRC drive. While non-Muslims left out of the proposed nationwide NRC would be able to get citizenship under the CAA, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 02:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).