Patna: In a major embarrassment to the BJP, Janata Dal(U) vice president Prashant Kishor on Sunday assured the people of Bihar that CAA and NRC will not be implemented in the state.
He also thanked the Congress leadership for their “formal and unequivocal rejection of CAA and NRC. Thanking Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he tweeted, “they deserve special thanks for their efforts on this count”.
The Congress working committee at its meeting in New Delhi had passed a resolution rejecting both CAA and NRC. Earlier, another senior JD-U leader and former MP Pawan Kumar Verma too had opposed NRC and CAA.
In a letter to the party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he had said, “JDU is not expected to follow the BJP manifesto”.In both Houses of Parliament, JDU members had supported the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Last week, Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi at a press conference declared that the work for National Population Register in Bihar will start on May 15.
He warned the officers with punitive actions if they failed to carry out the work for NPR. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, while speaking at the public awareness campaign meeting on CAA and NRC at Bagaha on Sunday, said the gazetted notification for implementation of CAA has already been issued on Saturday.
BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a meeting in support of the CAA at Hajipur on January 16. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will join the pro-CAA rally at Gaya on Tyesday.
The meetings of BJP leaders in mobilising support for CAA and NRC are being attended by their party leaders only,None of the JDU or LJP leaders are attending their pro-CAA meetings.
LJP president,Chirag Paswan,has also opposed CAA and NRC. Chief Minister,Nitish Kumar who is touring different parts of the state for his Jal,Jungle,Hariyali campaign is also avoiding mention of CAA and NRC in his speeches and is talking of his government and party programmes.
