It's unconstitutional: Kerala Governor dismisses Assembly's resolution against CAA
Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan got the state Assembly to back his stand on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This week, the legislators passed a resolution blocking the Act's implementation in the state. But according to the Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the resolution holds no ground. He said citizenship falls under Centre's purview and states can't have a say on it.
After Citizenship Amendment Bill got President's assent last month, it ignited protests across the nation. Terming it biased towards Muslims, CMs of several non-BJP states slammed the Centre. But Vijayan didn't just restrict himself to protests, and went a step further by getting the resolution passed. Apart from the ruling Left, the resolution also got support from the opposition party, Congress.
The Assembly's decision, however, didn't strike a chord with Khan who said that the state has no role in citizenship matters, hence, it shouldn't waste its resources. Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the national conference on Vedas today in Thiruvananthapuram, Khan said, "This resolution has no legal or constitutional validity. Citizenship is exclusively a central subject so this actually means nothing."
"We shouldn't spend government's time and resources on issues which are beyond the jurisdiction of the government. But I respect if some people are of the view and they are making a demand to the Central government -- there I have no problem," he said.
Khan's comments came just a day after Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told states they don't have the option of not implementing CAA. He claimed states that were mulling this idea should understand the legal nitty-gritty. "Article 245, 256 and other provisions state that Parliament has the complete power to pass laws regarding naturalization and citizenship," the BJP leader added.
On the other hand, Vijayan isn't moving from his position either. When he was informed that BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao has requested Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu to initiate breach of parliamentary privileges against him, the CPI(M) leader said state assemblies have their own privileges. Calling the request unprecedented, Vijayan said new things are happening in the country these days.
Apart from igniting a controversy, Kerala Assembly's resolution has set an example too. In Tamil Nadu, the opposition DMK urged the ruling AIADMK to adopt such a resolution to protect the ethos of the Constitution. Likewise, Mohammed Arif Naseem, who is the vice-president of Maharashtra Congress, requested CM Uddhav Thackeray to call a special session and get a similar resolution passed.
