New Delhi, Jan 31: The JD(U) urged the government during an NDA meeting on Friday to remove questions seeking details of parents in the National Population Register (NPR) questionnaire.
Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh said he raised the issue at the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting and Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that the matter will be discussed.
Singh said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), another BJP ally, also supported the JD(U) on the issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Shah were among the leaders who attended the meeting in which the BJP and its allies deliberated over their strategy for the Budget Session that started on Friday.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar had earlier clarified that people are free not to answer questions about their parents such as place and date of birth in the NPR exercise.
The JD(U), which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has backed the government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and the Bihar government had announced the roll-out of the NPR exercise in the state.
With criticism rising about the questions on parents' details in the NPR on the ground that many people may not be aware about the place and date of birth of their parents, the government has already said that answering them is not compulsory.
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Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
