Claim of no discussions on NRC a 'tactical retreat' in face of anti-CAA protests: Prashant Kishor

The remarks by BJP leaders where they said that no discussion on National Registers of Citizens had taken place, is a "tactical retreat" in the face of the nation-wide protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC, JD-U leader Prashant Kishor said on Thursday.

"It is a pause and not the full stop. Govt could wait till SC judgement on CAA. A favourable court order and the whole process will be back," he tweeted.

Kishor has been a vocal critic of the CAA and has time and again voiced his opposition to the new citizenship law.

On Tuesday, Kishor had asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to impress upon the party to "officially" announce that the CAA and NRC will not be implemented in the states ruled by the party.

Kishor, the vice president of BJP-ally JD-U, had also thanked the former Congress president for joining the "citizens' movement" against CAA and NRC, a reference to the opposition party's sit-in protest at Raj Ghat on Monday.

Seeking to allay apprehensions about the updation of National Population Register (NPR), Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday said that there was no link between the National Population Register exercise and the National Register of Citizens and that the process of NPR cannot be used for NRC.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Shah had said that the information obtained through NPR cannot be used for NRC.

He added that the Union Cabinet has not ever discussed NRC.