Govt should suspend NPR, CAA for 3 months amid coronavirus threat: Salman Khurshid

Senior Congress leader and former Union cabinet minister Salman Khurshid has suggested that the government should postpone the National Population Register (NPR) and other such things "for three months" in the face of the coronavirus threat.

New Delhi [India], Mar 21 : Senior Congress leader and former Union cabinet minister Salman Khurshid has suggested that the government should postpone the National Population Register (NPR) and other such things "for three months" in the face of the coronavirus threat.

He said that the governments should reach out to the protesters and ask them to take back their protests to avoid the risk of coronavirus transmission through large public gatherings.

The Congress leader also termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's request to people to come out on their rooftops and balconies etc on March 22 and clap or beat thalis to express gratitude to the people involved in providing essential services as "excessive" and "uncalled for".

"I wish that the Uttar Pradesh government and the central government had a good sense of reaching out to people who are participating in anti-CAA protests and tell them that everything will be postponed till we can shake off this threat (coronavirus)," Khurshid told in response to a query about UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urging people to avoid any religious gatherings till April 2.

"Then we can then negotiate or discuss about what can be done or what cannot be done (about CAA and NPR). But now it is time to bring this major confusion to a halt. I imagine it would be fair on their (government's) part to say that they are postponing everything for three months. It is not the end of the world," he said.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposal of voluntary curfew on March 22 and his request to people to come out on their rooftops and balconies etc at 5 p.m. on that day and clap or beat thalis to express gratitude to the people involved in providing essential services, Khurshid said: "The growing awareness and the voluntary steps people are taking are to be encouraged and applauded. But perhaps it's a little bit excessive to be saying what the PM has said that we should come out and clap etc."

"This is a little uncalled for. But to the extent that we owe gratitude to the people who continue to provide essential services despite the danger that it poses to them, I think our gratitude should certainly be underscored and emphasised," he added.

About politicians and celebrities attending parties etc, the congress leader said that it is a "grave mistake" for anyone to assume that all the prescribed precautions to stop the spread of coronavirus are for others and not for us.

Commenting on Madhya Pradesh political crisis, the Congress leader said: "It's time we have to draw lines very clearly about our commitment to democracy. This (BJP's move) doesn't seem a clear commitment to democracy. Our MLAs' unhappiness should become a launchpad for BJP to form a government because they were very desperate out of power, it's a sad commentary on the state of affairs in a democracy."

( With inputs from ANI )