Telangana says no to NPR

The State government will not take up the Centre’s National Population Register (NPR), but will go ahead with the process of enumerating the State’s population under the normal Census programme.

Sources said the State government was disinclined to implement the NPR in its present form.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had already made his stand clear on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at a media conference in January. He had then appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rethink on the CAA stating that it was “not at all good for the country.” Subsequently, the State Cabinet has also cleared the proposal to pass a resolution in the State Assembly against the



CAA.

Coming down heavily on the NDA government for bringing about the amendment to the Citizenship Act, he had categorically stated that TRS was a secular party which believed in the Constitutional proclamation of not discriminating against anyone on the basis of any religion, caste or creed.

Chandrashekhar Rao, as announced earlier, has taken the lead and is in touch with the Chief Ministers of other States that are opposed to CAA and NPR, as also leaders of like-minded parties. He is likely to invite Chief Ministers and leaders who are opposed to the CAA and NPR to Hyderabad for chalking out a plan of action to fight such “regressive legislations,” the sources pointed out.