TCN News
New Delhi: In a statement issued after the national meeting at Bengaluru on 15 March 2020, Council of Popular Front of India (PFI) has urged Home Minister Amit Shah to make relevant amendments in various sections of the existing Citizenship Rules.
Home Minister Shah had assured in the Rajya Sabha on 12th March 2020 that no document would be collected and no one would be asked to provide information they don’t want to provide and that no one would be categorized as ‘doubtful citizens’ on the basis of documents.
In the wake of countrywide protests against CAA, the Executive Council of PFI has demanded that the Central Government to take people’s sentiments seriously and subsequently plan “to carry out Census without NPR.” Pertaining to the preparation of the NPR and identification of citizens, PFI has asked to that the conditions for “doubtful citizen” be removed with immediate effect asserting that unless such operational changes are made, the promise made by Amit Shah on the floor of Rajya Sabha could only be viewed as “an attempt to confuse and mislead the concerned Indian citizens who are on the path of agitations against CAA-NRC-NPR.”
The Council has further challenged the Union Government that in spite of the reminders for the same by many civil rights groups, it has preferred to remain in silence so far. “This attitude of total neglect of civil society concerns also put shadow of suspicion on their real government intentions,” records the end note of the statement.
In a bid to demonstrate immediate action to save the democracy, PFI has appealed to other associations, opposition parties, people’s organizations and state governments to call for boycotting NPR and oppose linking of NPR with Census. This, the Council noted must not be “confused and misled with mere verbal rhetoric” but stand in unity to remain steadfast in Boycotting decision in the present context.