State can’t and should not say no to CAA, says Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Even as Congress-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh are set to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), following the footsteps of Punjab, senior Congress leader, and former Haryana CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, on Monday (January 20) opined that a state cannot deny the implementation of the CAA. 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda told ANI, "Once a law or Act is passed by Parliament, I think that the constitutional view is that, any state can’t and should not say no but this has to be legally examined."

Earlier, senior Congress leader and former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal said that a state cannot deny the implementation of the CAA when it is already passed by Parliament. He, however, added that state assembly is empowered with the constitutional right to pass a resolution and ask the central government to withdraw the CAA. 

If the Supreme Court passes a verdict declaring the CAA as constitutional, it will become problematic for the state to oppose its implementation, Sibal has added.

Another senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday, however, said that the party would bring a resolution against the CAA in Congress-ruled states.

Patel said, "After Punjab, we are thinking about bringing a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. It would be a clear message to the central government to reconsider the Act." 

He also clarified that though the CAA has been passed by Parliament, respective states have the right to disagree with the Centre which cannot force any state to implement the "unconstitutional" law until the issue is resolved in the apex court.

Notably, Rajasthan is likely to bring a resolution against the implementation of the CAA in the assembly on January 24, on its first day of the budget session.