Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has said the updation process of the National Population Register (NPR) will be carried out in the state from May 15 to May 28 this year, notwithstanding the West Bengal and Kerala governments’ decision to put the exercise on hold in their respective states.

The senior Bihar BJP leader also said administrative and punitive action would be taken against officials if they refuse to carry out the constitution mandated NPR.

The statement assumes significance as Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan has written to 11 non-BJP Chief Ministers, including his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, citing a resolution passed by the state demanding scrapping of the amended Citizenship Act and asking them to take similar steps against the contentious legislation.

“Kerala has decided to address the apprehensions about NRC that preparations of NPR will lead to NRC by staying all activities relating to NPR in the state,” Vijayan, the lone Left Chief Minister in the country, said in the letter.

Addressing the press conference on Saturday, Sushil said the process of preparing NPR began in 2010 during the UPA regime which was completed between April 1 and September 30 that year.