Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – After the resolutions passed by many states against the NPR, prominent political leaders and activists including former finance minister Yashwant Sinha as also prominent Muslim leaders have given a call for boycott of the National Population Register (NPR). The NPR is the first step towards carrying out the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The NPR process is set to begin from the beginning of April.
In a statement signed by former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, Swaraj Party chief Yogendra Yadav, Jamiat Ulam-i-Hind leader Mahmood Madni, human rights activist Ravi Nair, Jamaat-e-Ilsami Hind chief Syed Saadatullah Hussaini, eminent activist Harsh Mander and others, they said: “Our alliances and co-ordinations have already rejected or given a call for boycott of NPR, since NPR is the first step towards unfolding of this new citizenship regime. Further, we have also opposed clubbing of NPR with the decennial Census as it puts at risk the sacrosanct, confidential and vital data-gathering under the Census. Various state governments have also passed resolutions in their assemblies or issued orders opposing the implementation of NPR in its present form”.
Earlier, many states like Bihar, Delhi and Telengana have passed the resolution against NPR as the data collected in the process will be used to prepare the NRC after marking out the ‘doubtful’ citizens. Home minister Amit Shah had said in Parliament that no one will be marked as doubtful citizens. But the activists have been demanding an official notification to this effect as also an amendment to the Act.
“We welcome the spirit of the Hon’ble Home Minister’s statement and now seek legalisation and formalisation of the same by way of the Union Government amending the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. Such an amendment may remove any reference to NPR in the above mentioned Rules of 2003. Alternatively, the government may delete Rules 3 (5), 4(3), 4(4) which allow NPR to be used for identifying citizens as doubtful and their deletion from the NRIC”.
They said that if the government carried out those amendments, they will withdraw the call for boycott of the NPR. The country has witnessed a massive movement against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of the Citizens and the National Population Register ever since the CAA was passed in Parliament. Many Muslims have been killed during the nationwide protests. The sit-in by those like the Shaheen Bagh protesters is still going in the different parts of the country.
Full Text of the Statement:
Appeal to the Citizens of India
(Boycott of NPR)
We, the alliances and coordinations of movements and organisations named below, have been opposed to the Union Government’s attempt to introduce a new citizenship regime through Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) and the allied National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC). We believe that these are divisive, discriminatory, against the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution and antithetical to the ethos of our freedom struggle and civilisational values.
Given this understanding, our alliances and coordinations have already rejected or given call for boycott of NPR, since NPR is the first step towards unfolding of this new citizenship regime. Further we have also opposed clubbing of NPR with the decennial Census as it puts at risk the sacrosanct, confidential and vital data gathering under the Census. Various state governments have also passed resolutions in their assemblies or issued orders opposing the implementation of NPR in its present form.
In light of the above, we have read and carefully considered the statement of the Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha on 12th March 2020 where he has categorically assured the nation that in the context of NPR, if any information is not available with a person, he/she may not provide the same and NPR shall not be used for categorising any citizen as “doubtful”. We welcome the spirit of the Hon’ble Home Minister’s statement and now seek legalisation and formalisation of the same by way of the Union Government amending The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. Such an amendment may remove any reference to NPR in the above mentioned Rules of 2003. Alternatively, the Government may delete Rule 3 (5), 4(3), 4(4) which allow NPR to be used for identifying citizens as doubtful and their deletion from the NRIC. The Government may also suitably amend Rule 7(2) and 17 to ensure that providing information in NPR is voluntary and that no one would be penalised for failure to provide information. We believe that these amendments would give effect to the Hon’ble Home Minister’s statement on the floor of the house and set at rest the widespread apprehensions about NPR.
As soon as the Union Government carries out the above mentioned amendments, we would be prepared to withdraw the call for boycotting NPR. The movement against CAA and NRC and the entire discriminatory citizenship regime shall, however, continue in peaceful, non-violent and democratic manner.
Appellants:
>Mr. Ravi Nair (Convener Alliance Against CAA-NRC-NPR)
>Mr. Yashwant Sinha (Fr. Finance Minister Of India)
>Ml.Tauqeer Raza (Leader, President Ittehad-e-Millat Council)
>Mr. Yogendra Yadav (Swaraj Abhiyan)
>Ml. Mahmood Madani (Leader &Sec.GenJamiat Ulema-e-Hind)
>Mr. Harsh Mandar (Aman Biradari)
>Mr. Er. Syed SadatullahHussaini (President Jamat-e-Islami Hind)
>Mr. Sandeep Pandey (Lucknow)
>Ml. Asghar Imam Salfi (President MarkaziJamiatAhleHadees)
>Mr. Nikhil Dey (Jaipur)
>Ml. WaliRahmani Sb (Amir Imarat Sharia Bihar/Odisa)
>Prof. Ratan Lal (Prof DU)
>Dr.Zafarul Islam Khan (ChairmanDelhi Minority Commission)
>Mr. Prashant Tandon (Journalist TOI)
>Ml. Peer Tanweer Hashmi (Sajjada KhanqahHashmiyaBijapur)
>Prof. Apoorvanand (Prof. DU)
>Dr. Manzoor Alam (Gen.Sec Milli Council)
>Mr. Ambrish Rai (Activist, RTE)
>Mr. Naved Hamid (President AIMMM)
>Jstc.Kolse Patil (Rtrd.Judge Bombay HC)
>Ml. Mohsin Taqvi Sb. (Imam Shia Jama Masjid, New Delhi)
>Jstc.Chandra Kumar (Rtrd. Judge AP HC)
>Dr. Mufti Mukarram Sb (Shahi Imam Masjid Fatehpuri)
>Dr. Narendra Nagarwal (Prof. DU)
>Ml. Sajjad Nomani (SajjadaKhanqaheNomania)
>Mr.Raghwan Srinivasan (LokrajSangathan)
>Ml. Shabbir Ahmad Nadavi (Bangalore)
>Mr. Ashok Verma (Ranchi)
>Mr. Kamal Farooqui (Fr. Chairman Delhi Minority Commission)
>Adv.AvikSaha (Kolkata)
>Ml.Niyaz Farooqui (Sec JUH)
>Mr. LabeedShafi (President SIO of India)
>Dr. Zafer Mahmood (Convener Watan Ki Fikr)
>Prof. Engr. Saleem (GS. FDCA)
>Hafiz Syed Athar Ali (Nazim MadarsaMohammadiaMumbai)
>Mr. Umar Khalid (Youth Leader)
>Mr. Nadeem Khan (UAH)>Adv. ZafaryabJeelani (Lucknow)
>Mr. M M Khan (Gen. Sec.APCR)
>Mrs. Farah Naqwi (Activist&Fr.Member NIC)
>Ml. Saif Abbas Rizvi (Shia Cleric &Leader)
>Mrs Rahmatunnisa (Sec JIH)
