Shiv Sena will oppose any attempt to bring NRC forcibly: Vinayak Raut

The Shiv Sena on Monday said that the party will oppose any attempt by the BJP-led government to bring the National Register of Citizens (NRC) forcibly.

Taking part in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, party member Vinayak B Raut alleged that problems such as unemployment were being overlooked and "an attempt was being made to mislead the nation through NRC".

"If an attempt is made to bring NRC forcibly, Shiv Sena will oppose it. People of the country will oppose it," he said amid interruptions.

The opposition has accused the government of trying to bring NRC in disguise through the National Population Register (NPR) exercise. The government has said there is no link between NPR and NRC.

Raut said the party had supported the government on the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but its query of how many refugees have come to the country has not been answered by the government.

He also asked how many people from other states have been able to go to Jammu and Kashmir and set up their business since the abrogation of Article 370.

Raut said that the government should give Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar if it has the guts.

"Do not take the trouble of looking at Shiv Sena with a crooked eye on the issue of Hindutva," he said.