Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday said the resolution passed by the state assembly demanding scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has no constitutional or legal validity.

The state had no role because citizenship comes under the domain of the Central government, he told reporters here. “The resolution has no constitutional or legal validity,” he added. He asked, “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?”

Also read:Kerala Assembly passes resolution against Citizenship Amendment Act

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

He 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. He 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.

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

Coming out against the Governor’s comments, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the State assembly has the power to pass the resolution.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had criticised the Left government for passing the resolution and had said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Vijayan should seek “better legal advice.”

Prasad had also said that 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, P Vijayan had on Wednesday rejected BJP’s criticism against it, saying the state assemblies have their own privileges.

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