Can’t agree to NRC before reading full draft: LJP

LJP president Chirag Paswan said: “LJP cannot say yes to NRC without fully reading its draft. We have requested the Union home minister to take all aspects into consideration. As for CAA, it would have no adverse impact on Muslims living in India.”

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The party also requested the Central government to talk to students protesting over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the NRC.

Even as the chorus of protests against a nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC) is building up, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Thursday said it cannot agree to an NRC without reading its draft. The party also requested the Central government to talk to students protesting over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the NRC.

LJP president Chirag Paswan said: “LJP cannot say yes to NRC without fully reading its draft. We have requested the Union home minister to take all aspects into consideration. As for CAA, it would have no adverse impact on Muslims living in India.”

He added that the party had always stood by Muslims. “We have always fought for social justice. We have never sided with the wrong. We have opposed every Bill or decision that is against interest of the nation,” he said.

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LJP MP from Khagaria Choudhary Mehboob Ali Qaisar, who is the lone NDA Muslim Lok Sabha MP, told The Indian Express: “Our party has supported the CAB [Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019]. But we have not taken a clear line on NRC yet. It is a tricky question.”

Paswan did not comment on a question on whether the party was in favour of an NRC in Bihar.

LJP spokesperson Ashraf Ansari said the party decided to support the new citizenship law only after reading the full draft. “CAA was necessitated only because Nehru-Liyaqat agreement failed. CAA and NRC should not be confused with each other. We will take a call on NRC when its draft is ready,” said Ansari.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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