Centre unfazed as more states say no to CAA-NPR

Aditi Tandon & Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 31

On a day when the Kerala Government passed a state assembly resolution seeking repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, the government sounded firm about implementing the law and moving ahead with the National Population Register (NPR) process saying both were laws of the land.

“The Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Population Register are both initiatives that emanate from laws of the land enshrined in the Union List of the Constitution,” a top government functionary said when asked to comment on a growing number of states taking public positions against the CAA and NPR.

On the NRC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already clarified matters saying an all-India NRC has never been discussed since he has assumed office.

Meanwhile, West Bengal, Kerala and Congress-ruled states (Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry) have openly said they won’t allow the CAA to be implemented. The Congress has officially opposed the current NPR process terming it as a precursor to an all-India NRC.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan have even halted the NPR process with CPM’s Prakash Karat recently suggesting that if 10 more states reject NPR “it will be buried”.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has made some anti-CAA noises so has Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the coalition government with the NCP and Congress in the state.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy have opposed the NRC, but have not spoken about CAA or NPR.

On states’ refusal to implement CAA and NPR, a government source on the sidelines of an event here today said, “CAA has been passed by Parliament and the President has assented to the amendments. These amendments have been made in the Citizenship Act 1955 on which the Centre has exclusive powers to legislate because the subject is in the Union List. Similarly for creating and updating the NPR, provisions were incorporated in the Citizenship Act through amendments in 2003.”

Describing the controversy over CAA as “unwarranted”, a government source today said states had no right to deny implementing the two and were free to move court against NPR if they wish.