Census 2027: Keralam Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan slams questionnaire seeking details of parents’ religion, place of birth
He says any policy that links religion with citizenship is unacceptable, adding that it is a matter of concern that the UDF government in Keralam is silent on the issue
Kerala Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the Census 2027 questionnaire for its inclusion of questions about the parents' religion and place of birth, accusing the Union government of attempting to incorporate the National Population Register (NPR) into the Census process. In a Facebook post, Vijayan expressed his disbelief at any policy that ties religion to citizenship.
He pointed out that while the Census and NPR are separate, the Union government's 2018-19 report suggests a link between the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the NPR, with the NRC being prepared by filtering data from the NPR. Vijayan demanded that the Union government remove these "sinister queries" from the Census 2027 questionnaire.
He reminded that the Kerala government had previously issued an order reaffirming that NPR would not be implemented in the state. Vijayan called on the secular community to resist the Sangh Parivar's efforts to target a particular section of society. He also noted the Union Democratic Front (UDF) government's silence on the matter, suggesting it was due to the Congress's past role in implementing the NPR.
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