Modi ends silence on new changes in NPR questions, slams opposition

Taking a jibe at the opposition in the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused political leaders for taking a U-turn in their stand for National Population Register (NPR), on Thursday (February 6).

While replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of both the houses, Modi said, “NPR and census are normal government procedures, which have been carried out earlier also. But when votebank politics is a necessity then those who carried out NPR earlier, spread misinformation about it now.”

Further, he added, “Some questions have been taken out or added even in every consequent Census conducted in the country. Do not spread misinformation over it.”

This remark of Prime Minister led to an uproar in the Upper House as the opposition members objected his statements.

“You are spreading misinformation. You started NPR in 2010. We have been here since 2014. We have the records of the NPR conducted by you and no atrocities were conducted on any person based on the date from the exercise done by UPA,” Modi said.

Claiming that they have provided benefits to various people with the help of NPR, Prime Minister added, “We updated the NPR data in 2015 to provide benefits to the underprivileged under various schemes. We want to update it further in 2020 to make the schemes more beneficiary. It should also reach more people. But, just because of the opposition, you, you are now seeing problems in it.”

Modi also pointed out that all the states had earlier approved the NPR Gazette notification but some have now taken a U-turn and creating roadblocks.