Assembly resolution against CAA lacks legal validity: Kerala Governor

Just two days after the Kerala assembly passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said the resolution lacks constitutional or legal validity.

The state had no role because citizenship comes under the domain of the Central government, he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (January 2) . “The resolution has no constitutional or legal validity,” he added.

“Citizenship comes exclusively in the domain of the Central government. The state government has no role. So, why these people engaged in something which is a non-issue for Kerala?” he asked.

Pointing out that the southern state had not been affected by partition, the Governor said there are no illegal immigrants in Kerala.

The Governor has also criticised the just concluded Indian History Congress, held in Kannur, where protests had been raised against him for his remarks on the CAA.

Khan said the History Congress has claimed that it has made some recommendations to the state government, including not to cooperate with the Centre.

The recommendations are “totally illegal’ and has “criminal content’, he said.

Attacking the Governor for his views, leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the state assembly has the power to pass the resolution.

Earlier, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had criticised the Left government for passing the resolution and had said Vijayan should seek “better legal advice.’

Prasad had also said it is only “Parliament which has got the powers to pass any law with regard to citizenship; not any assembly, including the Kerala Assembly.”

However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Wednesday rejected BJP’s criticism against it, saying the state assemblies have their own privileges.

The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed the resolution becoming the first state in the country to do so.

(With inputs from agencies)