Heena Sharma Blog

States cannot say they will not implement a new citizenship law and resolutions some legislatures have passed against it are a "political gesture", said Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday. Tharoor's party colleague Kapil Sibal last week said states cannot deny implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a law passed by Parliament. Sibal later called CAA "unconstitutional", as his statement contradicted the Congress government’s decision in Punjab to pass an Assembly resolution against the law . Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said that in the implementation of the National Population Register (NPR) and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NCR), the states will have a vital part as it will be their officials who will conduct the exercise because the Centre doesn't have the required manpower. "That's more of a political gesture. The citizenship is given by the federal government only and obviously no st

Likening the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with demonetisation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said these exercises are "tax" on the poor, who will suffer the same way they did after the note ban in November 2016. He was talking to reporters at the airport here after attending the inaugural function of the National Tribal Dance Festival. "Whether NPR or NRC, it is a tax on poor people of the country. You understand demonestisation. It was a tax on poor people. Go to banks and give your money but do not withdraw money from your account. Entire money went to the pocket of 15-20 rich people. This (NPR or NRC) is the same thing," he said. He was responding to a query on the Centre's claim that the NPR has no link with NRC. "Poor people will have to go to officers and show their documents and give bribe. They will have to give bribe if there is a slight mistake in their names. Crores of rup