NEW DELHI: There is no discussion on a nationwide NRC or National Register of Citizens right now, Home Minister Amit Shah said today, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to contradict him on the controversial subject at the core of protests across the nation.

"There is no need to debate this (pan-India NRC) as there is no discussion on it right now, PM Modi was right, there is no discussion on it yet either in the Cabinet or Parliament," Amit Shah told news agency ANI.

On Sunday, PM Modi had said at a rally in Delhi that the nationwide rollout of the NRC is not happening. "I want to tell the 130 crore citizens of India that since my government has come to power, since 2014, there has been no discussion on NRC anywhere. Only after the Supreme Court's order, this exercise was done for Assam," said the PM.

"Lies are being spread. There are leaders who told in TV interviews that NRC across India will involve such heavy expenses, but I want to say why you are you wasting your mental energy in something that is not even there? (Jo hai hi nahi usme kahaan itna dimag khapa rahe ho rey)," he added.

Amit Shah also asserted that there was no link between the NRC and the National Population Register (NPR). "I am clearly stating this today," he said in the interview on a day the government cleared a Rs 3,941 crore exercise to update the NPR.

"NPR is the register of population on the basis of which schemes are made. NRC asks people on what basis they are the citizens of the country."

The Home Minister said there was a basic difference between the two registers. "The two processes are not linked. The NPR data cannot be used for NRC," he said.

The NPR would be the basis for deciding beneficiaries of various government schemes, according to the Home Minister. "Those who are opposing the exercise are doing a great disservice to the poor," said Mr Shah.

With critics linking the NPR with the NRC, at least two states have stopped the population register - Bengal and Kerala.