The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a forum of progressive organisations, on Monday came down on the ‘silence’ of the Hemant Soren government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.
“The silence of the Jharkhand government on CAA, NRC and NPR is extremely disappointing. The State looks all set to roll out NPR survey from first April 2020. A government that claims to represent the poor and marginalised cannot remain oblivious to the danger of NPR and NRC for the people of the State,” said Bharat Bhushan Choudhury, a lead member of the JJM, at a press conference at Ranchi.
Mr. Choudhury said, “We were expecting that the Jharkhand government would take a decision like its counterpart in Kerala that they are not in favour of conducting NPR survey. The government has not made such announcement so far.
“We demand that the government stop all NPR-related activities and also pass a resolution against CAA and NRC in the Assembly,” he said.
In a letter to the Jharkhand Chief Minister signed by activists including Jean Dreze, the JJM said, “The main purpose of the NPR is to lay the ground for NRC. The NRC is a wasteful exercise that is bound to lead to exclusion and harassment of a large number of people especially poor as has already happened in Assam. It will wreak havoc on the poor of Jharkhand especially the tribals, Dalits, Muslims and women. The combination of CAA and NRC could easily become a weapon to reduce many Muslims to second-class citizens.
“Many States including Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Kerala and West Bengal are opposing the NRC and some have appealed to the Centre to repeal the CAA. The government of Kerala had gone further and issued an order of protecting people from torment that is bound to accompany the NRC process,” they noted.
The Mahasabha and other people’s organisations have threatened to organise a dharna at the Raj Bhavan on March 5.
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