Bhubaneswar: Congress leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray, Wednesday, expressed apprehensions over the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the recently announced National Population Register (NPR) in the country. The lawmaker also slammed the BJP government at the Centre by stating that the latter is trying to divide the people on religious lines.
Routray questioned about its implications on the minorities living in the state besides raising the issue of exclusion of Muslim community from the list of persecuted minorities from neighbouring states. He also exhorted that he would visit different parts of the state to create awareness on the CAA which has stirred a major controversy across the country.
“I will try to reach out to all the gram panchayats and blocks of the state to spread awareness on the legislation brought by the government and tell them how it is trying to divide the people on religious lines. When we are eager to accept all religions under the Bill, why the Muslims have been barred?” asked Routray. The senior Congress leader said that if a secular country like India shows reluctance to accept Muslim refugees who else will give them shelter then? The leader also castigated the BJP government at the Centre for forcefully imposing the legislations. He also attacked the Modi government for the newly proposed National Population Register (NPR).
“These are all the fake propaganda of the government akin to National Register of Citizens. People are not going to accept them. NRC is most unlikely to be implemented on the ground,” the senior Congress leader told the media Wednesday.
BJP on the other hand attacked the Congress party and alleged that the leader was trying to incite protests.
BJP leader Prithviraj Harichandan said, “NPR was a concept put forward by the Congress party earlier. They failed to implement it due to vote bank politics. At a time when the BJP government is daring to take this forward, parties like Congress should not oppose this,” he said. He also said that the Congress is misleading people on the issues of NRC and CAA.