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Centre should pay heed to people’s voice: Capt on CAA
The Kerala assembly’s resolution against the controversial law represented the will and wisdom of the people as spoken through their elected representatives, said the CM
Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday took exception to the Union law and justice minister’s remarks on Kerala resolution on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said Punjab has come out in support of the resolution passed by the Kerala assembly seeking amendment to the controversial Act, terming it the voice of the people.
In an open letter to law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the CM countered his recent remarks in which he had “discounted the position being taken by some of states against the CAA” and “called upon such politicians to seek appropriate legal advice before taking such a stand”.
Asserting that the states had already taken necessary legal advice, Amarinder said the Kerala assembly’s resolution represented the will and wisdom of the people as spoken through their elected representatives. “Such MLAs represent the voice of the people at large,” he said, adding that it was not only a matter of Parliamentary privilege, but the constitutional duty of those representatives to make known such views.
Declaring that as heads of responsible state governments “we are neither naive nor misguided”, the CM said laws could not be forcibly imposed on citizens and like all powers, even the Parliamentary power was coupled with the duty to exercise it responsibly.
Amarinder said by insisting that only Parliament under Article 245 had the legislative power to pass laws as regards citizenship and not the state governments, the law minister had entirely missed the point of the resolution passed by the Kerala assembly. “It has not passed any citizenship law. It urges the Government of India (through Parliament where it now has a majority) to amend the CAA,” he said.
“Surely, you, both as the minister of law as well as a lawyer, know that the resolution is rightly directed, as it is Parliament which must amend/repeal such law based on a proposal/ Bill mooted by the Government of India,” Amarinder said.
PRASAD HITS BACK AT CAPT
Hitting back at Amarinder, the Union minister said that both the Centre and the states have to work together to keep India safe and also give shelter to those persecuted for their religious beliefs.
“Dear Capital Amarinder Singh Ji, you are a senior, seasoned and informed leader who fought for India as an Army officer earlier. Both Centre and states have to work together to keep India safe and secure and also give shelter to those persecuted for their faith. This is the glorious tradition of India,” Prasad tweeted.
He asked the CM to refer to the Constitution, saying it “clearly enjoins that Parliament has Constitutional power to pass laws” adding that the “states can also pass laws”.
“Kindly see Articles 245, 246, 256 of the Constitution, which clearly enjoins that Parliament has Constitutional power to pass laws for the entire country and it is the duty of every state to act in a manner to ensure compliance. Similarly, states can also pass laws for the states,” Prasad tweeted.
“As a well-informed leader surely you will recall the public commitment of Gandhi Ji, Nehru Ji, Dr Rajendra Prasad Ji, Sardar Patel Ji and many other leaders about the need to give respect and shelter the persecuted minorities of Pakistan from which Bangladesh was created later,” he added.
Prasad also said that Indira Gandhi had given citizenship to the uprooted and persecuted Hindus of Uganda under the regime of dictator Idi Amin and granted citizenship to victimised Tamil people of Sri Lanka.