CMs have 'constitutional obligation' to enforce CAA: Arjun Ram Meghwal

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was passed by Parliament, the states have no option but to implement it.

The senior BJP leader was here to take part in his party's campaign to "bust false propaganda" against the controversial act.

Referring to a resolution passed by the Kerala assembly against CAA, and similar voices from non-BJP states such as West Bengal, the minister said it was a constitutional obligation of chief ministers to implement the law.

"Citizenship is a subject which falls under the Union List of the Constitution. Which means Parliament has the powers to enact laws regarding citizenship. It is the duty of all the CMs to implement it. It is also their constitutional obligation," he said.

"They all have to implement the CAA. There is no other option," Meghwal told reporters here. "Congress and other opposition parties claimed that CAA was passed without proper consultation...But the consultation process started in 2016. As demanded by the opposition, the draft of the Bill was sent to a joint committee of MPs from all the parties," he said.

"The committee held discussions with stake-holders as well as affected people. They even visited the North-East, Kolkata and Assam, where affected people live. So this allegation by the Congress does not hold up," he said.

Amendments in favour of Hindu refugees living in Gujarat and Rajasthan were enacted when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister in 2005, Meghwal added.

"It appears opposition parties have decided to protest against CAA to put a brake on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's soaring popularity," he said.