No decision yet to implement nationwide NRC, Home Ministry clarifies in Lok Sabha

The Home Ministry has said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the government has taken no decision yet on bringing a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) yet.

On the questions of whether the government has any plans to introduce the NRC all over the country, Ministry of Home Affairs MoS Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that "till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare National Register of Citizens (NRC) at the national level".

The Home Ministry has also said "question does not arise" on the questions of the modalities of a nationwide NRC and how it would put additional burden on citizens.

On Monday, as the Parliament opened for the Budget Session, most of the opposition parties have notices in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seeking debate and answers on Citizenship Act (CAA), NRC and National Population Register (NPR).

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said almost all the opposition parties, including the DMK, CPI, CPI(M), NCP, RJD, TMC, SP and BSP, gave notices under Rule 267 to adjourn all business and discuss the CAA, NPR and National Register of Citizens.

The Congress leader said, "For the last two months, the whole country is on the road since the citizenship bill became an act. The NPR was done earlier, but the questions were simple. But in this NPR under this



government, other details such as the date of birth of the father have been asked for."

"The government represents it as a Hindu-Muslim issue. All of us feel that there is no Hindu-Muslim issue," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister added.

The government was doing all this to deliberately divert the attention from its failure to deliver on its promises, he said, adding, "They keep us giving toys to keep us busy."

While introducing the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah had repeatedly said the government will bring the CAA first and then a nationwide NRC.

The statements sparked massive outrage across the country and many universities in different states. Anti-CAA and NRC protests have continued for months in Delhi and other parts of the country.

Women at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and students of Jamia University have continued with their protests for months, forcing the government to backtrack on the proposals of bringing a nationwide NRC that demands that citizens of India prove their nationality.

While Amit Shah had repeatedly said the Modi government will bring nationwide NRC by 2024, PM Narendra Modi said such claims are lies being spread by the Opposition to create unrest in the country.

Soon, Amit Shah, too, went back on his statements and said the government has no such plan as of now.