PATNA: With large-scale protests breaking out in many parts of the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act and fears over a nationwide National Register of Citizens, two key allies of the BJP — the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) — have come out openly with divergent views.
Speaking to reporters in Patna on Friday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he wouldn’t allow an NRC exercise in the state.
“Kahan ka NRC? Ek dum nahin lagu hoga (What NRC? It won’t be implemented at all),” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Kumar’s divergent stand came just days after his party supported the Centre during voting for passage of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in Parliament.
The LJP, too, let its misgivings against the legislation known, saying that the Union government has failed to dispel rumours swirling around the law.
While the LJP backed the CAB in Parliament, party chief Chirag Paswan on Friday took to Twitter striking a dissenting note.
Voicing concern over protests that are raging across the country, he said many are linking the NRC to the CAA, thereby fanning confusion.
He said to avoid such a situation, the party had urged the government to discuss the Bill with the allies before tabling it in Parliament.
“It’s clear that the government has failed to dispel rumours and confusion prevailing among a significant section of the country’s population,” he said, urging the government to talk to protesters and address their concerns.