CAA: Rajasthan Cabinet Rejects Amended Act

Jaipur: The Rajasthan cabinet led by Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday decided against implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, media reports said. Rajasthan is the second state after Kerala to come out officially against implementation of CAA and NRC.

The Kerala assembly had on Tuesday passed a resolution asking the Centre to withdraw the CAA. Tabled by the Kerala chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the resolution called the Act 'unconstitutional.' It objected to it on the grounds that it made religion the basis of granting citizenship.

The Kerala assembly's resolution evoked a sharp reaction from the BJP leadership. The party's National general secretary and Rajya Sabha member, GVL Narasimha Rao criticised the move and observed that he would write to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking action against the Kerala chief Minister for breach of Parliamentary privileges. He reminded the Kerala chief Minister that it was the Parliament which passed the CAA bill, making it a law. Such steps cause constitutional anarchy, GVL Narsimha Rao said.

However, on Wednesday, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told media persons that state assemblies also had their privileges, adding to the face-off between the state and the Centre.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked that states had no say in the matter and had to implement the amended citizenship Act. As per the Constitution, citizenship was a subject under the Union list, he asserted. Several legal experts were also of the view that state governments had little choice in the matter as the subject is clearly within the purview of the Centre.

There were also media reports of the Centre is mulling the option of making the citizenship application process online to bypass states.