Delhi Assembly passes resolution against NPR, NRC
NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said while Muslims who do not have proper documents, namely birth certificates issued by Corporations or Panchayats, would be put by the Central government in detention centres under the National Register for Citizens schemes, even Hindus will not be spared.
At the end of the day, a resolution to the effect was also passed by the Delhi Assembly.
The resolution against the existing NPR was moved by senior minister Gopal Rai who stated that "…such a thing did not even happen under the British rule." He said the manner of implementation was "raising questions on every person's citizenship".
Kejriwal said during a discussion in the Delhi Assembly: "Either Hindus will have to say that they are Pakistanis or they too will have to go to detention centres."
He further added: "I don't have proof of birth. My wife and my parents don't possess it either. Only my kids have. My entire Cabinet doesn't have proof of birth."
"61 out of 70 members don't have birth proof," he continued before asking "how many of you are ready to declare yourselves as Pakistanis."
"We will not betray the country no matter what. We will spend the rest of our lives in detention centres, but will not declare ourselves as Pakistanis to obtain citizenship," Kejriwal asserted.
The Chief Minister also challenged the Union ministers to show whether they had birth certificates issued by the government agencies.
As his party MLAs voted in favour of a motion against the NPR in its present form, Kejriwal also charged that this verification exercise would form the basis of the NRC, under which people unable to prove their citizenship would be sent to detention centres.
"On the basis of the NPR, the NRC will be done. People are scared of this... I request the Centre that at a time when the Indian economy is down and Coronavirus is spreading, it should use its resources on these issues. The Centre should roll back the NRC and the NPR. And if the Centre insists, the process should be carried out in accordance with the 2010 format," Rai said as he moved the resolution.
