States have right to express opinion, Centre should pay heed to their views, says Pawan Varma on NPR

Janata Dal-United leader Pavan Varma on Sunday urged the Centre to take into cognisance the views of different States on the issue of National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said that this exercise can only be implemented in coordination with the States.

"The States have the right to express their opinion. Many states have done so that they do not want the discriminatory and divisive NPR-NRC exercise. I think you can only implement this exercise in coordination with the States," Varma told ANI.

He also demanded the Centre to heed the different objections being raised by states on the issue.

"I believe that the Centre should listen to what the States are saying, many of them, in a federal polity and take those views on board. Bihar, through Nitish Kumar has said that they do not want NPR exercise, the Centre must take cognisance of it," he added.

Union Cabinet on December 24 approved a proposal to update NPR. The NPR was discussed thoroughly at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On December 27, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had appealed to the Chief Minister of 13 non-BJP ruled States not to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) had also expressed deep concerns over the Central government's decision to implement National Population Register (NPR) saying the Centre needs to have wide consultation with the Opposition and evolved consensus should be made on such an issue.