Thiruvananthapuram, August 20: Pinarayi Vijayan, the leader of the opposition in Kerala, accused the central government on Wednesday of attempting to use the upcoming census to further the agenda of the National Population Register (NPR). He warned that questions seeking information about parents’ birthplace and religion could pave the way for a citizenship-related process that may divide people.
In a post on social media, Vijayan expressed alarm over reports suggesting that such questions would be included in the census. He alleged that the central government is secretly trying to implement the NPR agenda alongside the census.
Vijayan claimed that although the census and NPR are distinct processes, the government is attempting to merge the two. Citing a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2018-19, he asserted that information collected through the NPR could be used to prepare the National Register of Citizens (NRC), describing the NPR as the first step towards the NRC.
He emphasized that the intention behind including questions about parents’ birthplace and religion in the census is clear. He argued that any policy linking citizenship to religion cannot be accepted.
Vijayan demanded that the central government immediately remove the questions he deemed suspicious and aimed at dividing people from the census questionnaire. He also appealed to the secular sections of society to unite against this dangerous move, which he believes targets a specific segment of the population.
The former Chief Minister criticized the Kerala UDF government for its silence on the issue despite concerns regarding the census, alleging that Congress is also not innocent regarding the NPR matter.
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