Tripura: CPI-M, Cong oppose NPR; BJP terms it a regular exercise

Agartala: As preparations are underway in Tripura for the National Population Register (NPR) starting from May 16, the Opposition- CPI-M and Congress have condemned the state government decision by claiming that the people have decided to not show their papers for NPR.

Speaking with EastMojo, Congress vice-president Tapas Dey, condemned the decision of the state government to NPR revision and said that the people have decided to not show their papers during the NPR exercise.

“The government is trying to hold NPR revision against the will of the people who had voted them to power. This should not have been done by the government. The people have rejected them for the anti-people decisions being taken one after another,” Tapas Dey said.

Meanwhile, CPI-M also held a series of protest rallies and door-to-door campaign, meeting people, requesting to not show their papers during the NPR revision.

Speaking with EastMojo, CPIM senior leader and former deputy speaker said that people will not provide data for the NPR and they have rejected the policies of the Central government that are being executed to divide the people.

“We have started door-to-door campaign against NPR and people have largely supported us in this initiative, including the BJP supporters. We shall continue our protest across the state,” Kar said.

While, the Sunil Debbarma, general secretary of the Twipra Students Federation (TSF), a student body of NESO, has castigated the move of the Centre for implementing CAA.

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“The implementation of NPR is good since it will help the government in identifying the people who have entering illegally. The identification is must, be it the tribals or non-tribals from any religion and community,” Debbarma said.

However, the implementation of NPR would be of no use once CAA is implemented. The NRC will have no meaning left in the northeast since the damage would be already done.

“The CAA will intimately give citizenship to a particular community who have entered illegally into Indian territory, which is again not good for the Northeast,” Debbarma added.

Reacting on the comments made by the opposition leaders and civil societies, BJP state unit spokesperson Dr Ashok Sinha said that the opposition parties are playing dirty politics in the name of NPR.

“The NPR is a regular exercise and it is not being implemented for the first time in the country. Those who are doing all this criticism are doing a politics out of it, which is shameful,” Sinha said.

He also said that the people will welcome CAA and NPR as there is no harm in it. It is a regular thing that has to be conducted after a certain time period.

Meanwhile, the Tripura state government has started preparation to collect data for updating the NPR. The collection of data will begin from May 16 and would continue till June 29, Director of census operations in state PK Chakraborty said.

A team of 11,000 people would be deployed across the state to collect data as a part of census operation.