Punjab to abide by the assembly resolution; not to implement NPR

Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government in Punjab has said that it would abide by the resolution passed in the Punjab assembly against the implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) in the state.

Earlier in January this year, the Punjab assembly had passed a resolution stating that it will not implement NPR and CAA in Punjab.

“Given the apprehensions about National Register of Citizens and that the National Population Register is a prelude to the NRC designed to deprive a section of persons from citizenship of India and implement CAA, this House further resolves that Central government should amend the forms/documentation associated with the NPR to allay such apprehension in the minds of the people and only thereafter undertake work of enumeration under NPR”, the resolution passed by Punjab assembly read.

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'No question of going against assembly resolution' 

While categorically denying the media reports that Punjab government was training its field staff for the updation of the NPR, a Punjab government spokesman today said that there was no question of going against the Assembly resolution on the issue.

“The said training is a routine exercise related to the conduct of housing census, scheduled to take place in Punjab in May-June, and had absolutely nothing to do with NPR”, he said.

The spokesman said that the Additional Chief Secretary of Local Government Sanjay Kumar had given categorical and clear instructions to this effect to the Deputy Commissioners during a workshop held in Chandigarh recently, and also at a meeting of the DCs with the Chief Minister. “The DCs were asked to exclude the NPR training chapter from this exercise”, he said.

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The spokesman said that the Punjab Chief Minister has made it very clear on several occasions that the Punjab Government would fight the “divisive and discriminatory” Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the NPR, on every forum. 

“The CM had Endorsed the stand, the Resolution passed by the Vidhan Sabha in January had also categorically rejected the NPR”, the spokesperson pointed out.

Punjab government like a few other oppositions ruled states have said that it would not implement the NPR and CAA despite the CAA being passed by both the houses of the parliament.

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