Why PM Chose To Contradict Shah NRC Vow

At a massive BJP rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan organised on Sunday as a thanksgiving event to the prime minister for regularising unauthorized colonies in the national capital, an aggressive and assertive Modi sought to calm the nerves of the country by saying that his government had never discussed anything about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) apart from the one in Assam.

- Kaushik Deka

“I want to tell the 130 crore people of India that ever since my government came to power in 2014... from then until now... there has been no discussion on NRC anywhere... we only had to implement it in Assam to follow Supreme Court directives.”

This statement categorically negates what Shah has been saying in the last two years—the latest on December 17 at Agenda Aaj Tak—that a nationwide NRC will be prepared soon. Earlier this month, taking part in a debate over the CAA in Lok Sabha, Shah said: “Maan ke chaliye NRC aane wala hai (But you should keep this in mind that NRC is about to come).” In an election rally in Jharkhand, he even set a deadline for NRC— 2024.