In 2014, Centre admitted to NPR-NRC link, but Amit Shah sings another tune

Contrary to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim on Tuesday (December 24) that the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Indian Citizens (NRC) weren’t linked, a Press Information Bureau release on November 26, 2014, quoting former minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha claims that “the NPR is the first step towards creation of NRC.”

Click here to read the document  

In an interview to news agency ANI, contrary to media reports, Shah also claimed that not a single detention centre has been built after the Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power in 2014. However, he said only one such centre exists in Assam and that was built years ago.

Admitting that construction of detention centres was a “continuous process,” Shah said, “If a foreigner is arrested without documents he is kept at detention centres. They are deported later. Detention centres have nothing to do with National Register of Citizens (NRC).”

Also read | Similarities, differences between NRC, NPR and its link to CAA

Denying any link between the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Shah said detention centres has been around for years for illegal migrants. “Misinformation is being spread on this,” the BJP chief said.

On Modi saying there has been no discussion on the issue on NRC anywhere in the country, Shah said the prime minister was right and that there has been no discussion on pan-India NRC in the cabinet or the Parliament.

Recently, chief ministers of West Bengal and Kerala had stalled the data collection exercise for updating the NPR, in protest against the amended Citizenship law. Shah appealed to the chief ministers to reconsider their decisions and added that the decision would hurt the poor who benefit from government schemes.

Also read | Modi, Shah statements on nationwide NRC contradictory: Mamata

“I humbly appeal to both Chief Ministers again, that don’t take such a step and please review you decisions. Don’t keep the poor out of development programmes just for your politics. This population register is going to be the foundation of the development activities that are carried out,” Shah said.

On being asked about AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s assertion that the NPR was same as NRC, but with a different name, Shah said Owaisi always opposes whatever the BJP says. “If we say the Sun rises in the east, he will say west. This is his stand. But I assure Owaisiji also that this (NPR) has nothing to do with the NRC,” he said.

Stating that NPR was not in the saffron party’s poll manifesto, Shah said his government was continuing “a good work” started by the previous Congress regime.