Thiruvananthapuram: Hours after the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that the law was binding on the entire country and was “perfectly legal” and “constitutional”.
He said only Parliament has exclusive powers to pass any law with regard to subjects under the seventh schedule and not any assembly.
"It is only Parliament which has got the powers to pass any law with regard to citizenship; not any assembly, including the Kerala Assembly," he told reporters here.
On the assembly resolution, Prasad hit out at the state government, saying that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should seek better legal advise.
"This law is binding on the entire country. CAA is not related to any Indian Muslim, much less to any Indian citizen.
It only relates to six persecuted communities of three countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who are being singled out due to their faith".
Due to their religious faith, there has been a long history of persecution, the minister said.
** What exactly does India's new Citizenship Act mean? Read here. **
Recalling that late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had provided citizenship to minorities from Uganda and Sri Lankan Tamils, respectively, he wondered why was it ok if Congress did so and "it is a problem" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah did the same.
"When the Congress does, it is ok. When Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi did it, it was Ok. But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah does it, it is a problem", he said, adding this was the "double standards of the worst order".
"This is double standards and hypocrisy of the worst order," he said strongly defending the CAA which has triggered protests across the country in the past weeks.
On the National Population Register (NPR), which has also come in for opposition from several quarters, including Kerala government, Prasad said it is a census governed by the Census Act and is a register of usual Indian citizens.
The population data becomes the basis for policy making for central and state governments, he added.
Referring to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had clearly stated that nothing had been decided on NRC, while in Assam it was done as mandated by the Supreme Court order.
Condemning the "misbehaviour" towards Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, against whom protests were raised in the Indian History Congress at Kannur recently, he said the so called eminent people were seen pushing him (governor) on the stage.
This behaviour cannot be justified, he said.
Asked if the government was prepared to call for an all party meeting on CAA, he said there was a debate in both houses of Parliament on it. "What more clarification has to be given?," he asked.
Meanwhile, Kerala has raked up its resistance against the controversial Act with various political parties and socio-religious outfits shedding their ideological differences and deciding to hold joint protests.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also stalled all work on NPR after taking into account public apprehensions that it would lead to NRC in wake of the Act.
The UN has also conveyed its concerns about India's new citizenship law and the many violent incidents that is mushrooming across the country since it's enactment. UN Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres is concerned with the “alleged use of excessive force”, said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called the CAA “fundamentally discriminatory in nature”.
(With inputs from agencies)
