Maharashtra won’t block NPR, it’s different from NRC: Uddhav

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday (February 18) said the National Population Register (NPR) won’t be blocked in the state. Terming it as a routine process that takes place every 10 years, the Shiv Sena chief said no one will be affected due to the NPR process.

CAA आणि NRC हे दोन वेगळे विषय आहेत, NPR तिसरा विषय आहे. CAA लागू झाल्यानंतर आपल्याला घाबरण्याचे कारण नाही. NRC आलेला नाही, तो येणार नाही कारण NRC लागू केला तर केवळ मुसलमानांना नाही तर हिंदू, आदिवासी आणि इतर वंचितांना त्रासदायक होईल.
– मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे. pic.twitter.com/GOJR3sOfXz

— Office of Uddhav Thackeray (@OfficeofUT) February 18, 2020

Besides, he also assured he will “personally check the columns” in the NPR, adding there shouldn’t be any problem with the exercise in Maharashtra. “CAA and NRC are different and NPR is different. No one has to worry if CAA gets implemented. NRC is not there and will not be implemented in the state,” he tweeted.

NPR will happen in the state as there is nothing controversial about it, he said. Thackeray said he will not allow NRC to be implemented in the state. “If NRC is implemented then it will affect not only Hindus or Muslims but also Adivasis. NPR is a census, and I don’t find that anyone will be affected as it happens every 10 years,” he said.

Related news: NPR process starts April 1, President to be enrolled first

Meanwhile, he also said his government will not hand over probe into the Koregaon-Bhima violence case to the Centre. The Maharashtra government had recently okayed the handing over of investigation into the Elgar Parishad case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The violence was a result of the alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017.

"एल्गार आणि भीमा कोरेगाव हे दोन वेगळे विषय आहेत. माझ्या दलित बांधवांचा जो विषय आहे तो भीमा कोरेगाव बद्दल आहे आणि त्याचा तपास मी केंद्राकडे दिलेला नाही आणि देणार नाही आणि मी स्पष्टपणे सांगू इच्छितो की दलित बांधवांवर अन्याय होऊ देणार नाही."
-मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे

— Office of Uddhav Thackeray (@OfficeofUT) February 18, 2020

“Elgar and Koregaon-Bhima are two separate topics. The issue facing my Dalit brothers is about Koregaon-Bhima and I will not give it to the Centre. I want to make it clear that there will be no injustice to Dalit brothers,” Thackeray tweeted.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had recently publicly expressed his unhappiness over Thackeray’s decision to hand over the Elgar Parishad probe to the NIA. The NCP is a key constituent of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, along with the Congress party.

(With inputs from agencies)

Related news: Unmindful of raging protests, Andhra Pradesh to go ahead with NPR