AMN / New Delhi
Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has alleged that the National Population Register (NPR) approved by the BJP government was different and dangerous in terms of the “text and context” of the data collection done in 2010.
Charging that the BJP government had a “sinister agenda”, he said if the BJP’s motives were bona fide, the government should unconditionally state that they supported the NPR form and design of 2010 and did not intend to link it to the controversial NRC.
“The BJP-led government has a larger and more sinister agenda and that is why the NPR approved by them yesterday is very dangerous and different in terms of the TEXT as well as the CONTEXT of NPR 2010.
“If the BJP’s motives are bonafide, let the Government unconditionally state that they support the NPR form and design of 2010 and have no intention of linking it to the controversial NRC,” he said on Twitter.
Chidambaram said he is happy that the BJP had released a video clip of the launch of NPR in 2010.
“Please listen to the video. We were enumerating the ‘usual residents’ of the country. The emphasis is on residency not citizenship,” he said.
The Congress leader said cases had been registered against 8,000 people for anti-CAA protest in Chennai; 1,300 booked in Madurai; against 1,200 for taking out a candle march in Aligarh.
“Long live the right to assemble peacefully guaranteed by the Constitution! “Police believe that peaceful protests are more dangerous to law and order than rape, murder and lynching,” he said on Twitter.