Jharkhand House passes resolution against NRC, seeks NPR in 2010 format

The Jharkhand Assembly on Monday passed a resolution that the NRC will not be implemented in the state and the NPR exercise should be carried out using the 2010 format, joining a number of other states where such resolutions were passed earlier.

The resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam and passed by the House without discussion, amid a protest by BJP members, before it was adjourned sine die in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Jharkhand legislature joins the list of the assemblies such as those of Puducherry, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana and Delhi in passing resolutions either against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) or the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or the National Population Register (NPR).

The resolution, which was the last business of the day, was moved in the afternoon amidst vociferous protest by BJP members, who trooped into the well of the House.

It was passed by voice vote before the House was adjourned sine die.

In a statement, BJP state unit president Deepak Prakash later termed the passing of the resolution in the House without a discussion as "unfortunate".

"The country is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the state is under lockdown. Passing the resolution under such a circumstance without a discussion is unfortunate," Prakash said.

Claiming that both the NPR and the NRC are matters pertaining to the central government, he alleged that the aim of the resolution was "political appeasement".

The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance came to power in Jharkhand late last year, dethroning the BJP.