Women Alliance Against NPR, a women’s group protesting CAA, NRC and NPR, has urged the Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao to refuse data collection for National Population Register in the State, and to pass a resolution to that effect in the State Assembly.
Through a press conference on Thursday, members of the alliance also demanded that the police be stopped from interfering in peaceful protests against NPR anywhere in the State. They also sought withdrawal of ll cases filed so far with regard to the protests.
Speaking at the press conference, activists including M.Vimala, K.Sajaya, V.Sandhya, Rama Melkote, Sarah Mathews, Rafia Nausheen, and others called it extremely unfortunate that any expression of protest and dissent in Telangana are being suppressed with deliberate intent, despite the fact that Telangana State itself is a product of vibrant protests.
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Prof. Rama Melkote wondered why protests against CAA were being stamped out, even while a resolution has been passed against it by the Assembly. “It reflected the Chief Minister’s intolerance against any voice other than his”.
NPR must be opposed as it is a prelude to NRC, and inability to provide citizenship documents can lead the enumerator to mark the Nationality as ‘doubtful’, said Ms.Sajaya.
Ms.Nausheen sought to question the intent behind Population Census a year before the schedule, and asked the Telangana government to measure up to its commitment to the people of Telangana by refusing NPR. Several states such as Kerala, West Bengal, and Punjab have already passed resolutions against NPR, and Telangana government should follow suit, she demanded.
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