Congress stares at loss of state govts as contradictions emerge over NPR

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday asked all non-BJP chief ministers to not conduct the National Population Register (NPR) in their respective states, while the Congress party continued to waffle on how its state governments proposed to oppose the exercise to be carried out along with the decennial Census from April 1.

Several from among the Congress’s think tank, particularly the lawyers within its ranks, have said the states cannot defy the Centre on carrying out the NPR. This contradicts the joint resolution the Congress signed and released along with 19 other opposition parties last week.

The resolution said the NPR is the basis for the National Register of Citizens (NRC). It said the parties demand the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the immediate stoppage of the nationwide NRC/NPR.

“All the Chief Ministers, who have announced that they will not implement NRC in their state, must consider to suspend the NPR enumeration as this is a prelude to NRC,” the resolution said. However, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal, Jairam Ramesh and others have said the states cannot do this.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said such an action would be unconstitutional. While some in the opposition argue that this does not fall within the purview of Article 356, the subtext is that the Centre can dismiss state governments if they were to defy.

The reason for the Congress' nervousness on the issue, and also that of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) that rules Andhra Pradesh and Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), is that the state governments that they run are left with significant tenures.

This is in contrast to the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front ruled Kerala and Trinamool Congress ruled West Bengal. These are the two states that have issued orders to the administration to not carry out NPR.

The Kerala and Bengal assemblies expire by May 2021. Opposition sources say both Trinamool and CPI (M) can afford to take an aggressive line in the hope that the Centre would think twice before dismissing the two governments, and it would help electorally even if it were to.

However, most other opposition governments are left with significant tenures. The Congress governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are left with nearly four years.

The Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress coalition in Maharashtra is not just left with its entire tenure but it is also crucial since Maharashtra is the richest state in the country. Similarly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal coalition government is only recently elected.

The Congress is hopeful that local communities would come in the forefront to mount the fight on NPR by not showing the documents, or refusing to give details on the more problematic of the 20-odd NPR questions. The Congress is also hopeful that gradually the protests against NPR would extend to those against inflation, joblessness and economic slowdown.

On Sunday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala focused his party’s attack on the issue of CAA. Following the example of Punjab, all Congress-run state governments plan to get their respective assemblies to pass resolutions against the CAA.

Surjewala said repeated statements by Home Minister Amit Shah and “BJP appointed Governors” forcing the states to implement the CAA went against constitutional federalism. He said states can disagree with the Centre and challenge its decisions under Article 131.

In its meeting, the CPI (M)’s central committee suggested a way out. It “called upon the people not to answer any questions concerning the NPR when the enumerators come to their houses.”

“These enumerators will have two sets of questions – one for the Census and one for the NPR. While the questions related to the Census may be answered, the questions related to the NPR must not be,” it said in a statement.

The CPI (M) also decided that its cadres will conduct a house to house campaign explaining the linkage between the NPR and the NRC and calling upon the people not to answer the NPR questions.