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Updated: Aug 17, 2020 04:15 IST

Bihar will launch a data collection drive for the National Population Register (NPR) on May 15 and the exercise will conclude on May 28, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Modi said Saturday.

“The NPR process in 2020 will be carried out between April 1 and September 30 in the country. In Bihar it will be done between May 15 and May 28, 2020. Administrative and punitive action will be taken against officials if they refuse to carry out NPR,” Modi said at a press conference according to PTI.

The statement by Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio in the Nitish Kumar government, came amid tension between the BJP and its alliance partner Janata Dal (United) ahead of the Assembly polls later this year. The two parties have skirmished recently after comments by BJP leaders on the government’s leadership.

But the JD (U) said it doesn’t have a problem with the NPR exercise in Bihar.

“All states have given their consent for NPR after its gazette notification in August. Bihar is one of them. Moreover when Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that NPR data won’t be used for the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the JD (U) doesn’t have any problem,” said Rajiv Ranjan Janata Dal (United) spokesperson.

Last month, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he didn’t want the Centre to roll out the NRC, in Bihar. He became the first NDA chief minister to say no to the NRC after his party voted in favour of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Parliament.

The Union Cabinet approved a proposal in December to update the NPR countrywide except in Assam, where the NRC was conducted last year. The NPR is being updated for the census of 2021.

Modi also criticised Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan for their opposition to the NPR, the NRC and CAA.

In December, the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal suspended the process of updating the NPR following stiff opposition from various pressure groups.

Modi also said there was no question of discussing implementation of the NRC as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had made it clear the centre never discussed carrying it out nationwide.

(With input from Vijay Swaroop in Patna)