Arundhati Roy eggs on people to spike NPR with Ranga-Billa names, BJP slams writer-activist

Roy, who was herself protesting against NPR in the national capital on Wednesday, provoked people to furnish wrong details in the National Population Register (NPR) form to stymie the authorities' series of actions with CAA and the proposed NRC.

Protesting against the NPR here, Roy had said, "They will visit your homes, take your name, phone number and ask for documents like Aadhaar and driving licences. The NPR will become a database for NRC."

"We need to fight against it and have a plan. When they visit your home for NPR, and ask for your name give them some different name. We will decide on five names, such as Ranga Billa, Kung Fu kutta...For address, say 7 Race Course Road. A lot of subversions will be needed, we are not born to face lathis and bullets," she added.

The names of Ranga and Billa date back to a crime of 1970s, when siblings Geeta and Sanjay were killed by Kuljeet Singh alias Ranjga Khus and Jasbir Singh alias Billa after the victims were kidnapped for ransom. Both were hanged later.

Countering the writer-activist, BJP leader Uma Bharti tweeted, "An educated person like Arundhati Roy does not remember the names of Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan but Ranga-Billa."

"I feel ashamed to talk about this woman to whom Ranga, Billa like people are idols. The statement is anti-women, anti-humanity.." she added.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, tweeted, "If these are our intellectuals, then we definitely need a register of these people... She should feel ashamed. Such statements are betrayal to the country."

(Image Credit: Arundhati Roy Facebook)