DMK president M.K. Stalin on Saturday described as a “new dimension of a false campaign” Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s claim that the National Population Register (NPR) had nothing to do with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Referring to Mr. Palaniswami’s argument that the NPR was introduced when the Congress was in power and the DMK was part of the UPA government, Mr. Stalin said the Chief Minister had betrayed his ignorance by being unaware of the difference between the NPR planned by the Congress government and the one proposed by the BJP regime.
“The Congress-led UPA planned an NPR based on residence. It was given up after objections were raised. But the BJP is planning an NPR with the motive of dividing people on the basis of religion,” Mr. Stalin claimed.
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Alleging that his compulsion to support the BJP had made the Chief Minister ‘blind’ to even basic issues, Mr. Stalin said Mr. Palaniswami had downgraded the Chief Minister’s post through his ‘subservient’ attitude towards the BJP.
Mr. Stalin said the AIADMK government had betrayed Sri Lankan Tamils and minorities.
“It won the byelections through money power,” he alleged and challenged Mr. Palaniswami to resign as CM and face fresh polls.
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In a separate statement, TNCC president K.S. Alagiri took exception to the Chief Minister’s statement, saying the BJP-led Central government’s plan was to link the NPR with the NRC to send illegal immigrants away.
“Already, 19 lakh people have become stateless in Assam, and the BJP is seeking to create a similar situation all over the country,” he alleged.
‘Clear difference’
Mr. Alagiri said there was a clear difference between the NPR planned by the Congress and the one proposed by the BJP, adding that it was highly condemnable that the Chief Minister had ‘suppressed’ the fact.