Andhra Pradesh govt requests Central govt to revert to 2010 version of NPR

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday, announced that the State government has requested the Union Government to reverse the proposed National Population Register (NPR) to the 2010 version.

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AP asks for older version of NPR

In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, CM Reddy stated that the minorities in his state were feeling insecure because of the new version of the Bill and that his party had decided to send the request to the Central government after elaborate discussions. He went on to add that the resolution in this regard will be passed soon in the State Assembly.

Andhra Pradesh is not the only state to want the 2010 version of the NPR implemented. Last week, the Bihar State government (an ally of the BJP in the Centre) also passed a resolution preventing the implementation of NPR in the state.

READ: Citizenship Amendment Bill DECODED: Before Monday Tabling, Here Are The Listed Exemptions

Until now, Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry have passed resolutions to prevent implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Budget session of Telangana Assembly will begin on March 6 and the Assembly is expected to pass a resolution blocking the CAA.

READ: After 12-hr Debate, Lok Sabha Passes Citizenship Amendment Bill With 311 'Ayes', 80 'Noes'

On Sunday, March 1, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar stated that the state assembly need not pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizen (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) as there is nothing to fear about it.

READ: UNHRC Intervention On CAA: MEA Asserts Sovereign Right, Makes Locus Standi Argument

What is CAA? 

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities has been reduced to five years. The Opposition contends that the Act discriminates on the basis of religion.