Even if states oppose, the citizenship bill will remain in force: the central government

(PTI) New Delhi, Ta. December 13, 2019, Friday

After the five states - West Bengal, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala - refused to implement the Citizenship Bill, the central government said that no power was given to the state governments to reject the bill. Even if states oppose, the bill will remain in force.

West Bengal, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala have explicitly refused to enforce the Citizenship Law Bill. Then the Home Ministry official said that states had no authority to oppose the bill. State governments will not be able to reject this bill.

The top government official said that even if states oppose or obstruct implementation, the bill will remain in force. Since the Act is enacted in accordance with the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the power of its implementation lies with the Central Government only. States do not have the right to oppose the law on the list.

According to the citizenship law, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have come to the country for religious reasons, will be granted Indian citizenship.

Citizens who have arrived by December 31, 2014 will get Indian citizenship. Earlier this period was 11 years. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he had a majority in the state and this would block the bill. K Vijayanan of Kerala said that the bill is against the Constitution and there is no place in the state for it.

Mamata Banerjee also called the bill a divisive one. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the Congress government will take a similar stand on the bill. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the bill would not be implemented in the state as it was against the constitution.

Mamata Banerjee announces a grand rally in protest of citizenship law

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself declared that she would not allow the implementation of the Citizenship Investigation Act under any circumstances, and announced that rallies would be organized in the state in protest against the controversial law.

Mamata Banerjee herself said that the National Civil Registration and Citizenship Act would not be allowed in Bengal. Simultaneously, the amended law would not be implemented even though it was passed in Parliament.

Mamata Banerjee accused the central government of forcing law enforcement on non-BJP states. According to the Chief Minister, the Citizenship Act will divide India. But as long as they remain in power, not a single person in the state will have to leave the country.

The rallies have been announced on the official Twitter handle of the Trinamool Congress in which a rally from Jadavpur to the Gandhi statue was announced on May 17 on Mew Road. In addition, a rally will be held in Kolkata on December 16 to protest the cab and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be involved.

Reacting to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's postponing trip to Assam, Mamata Banerjee said that the cancellation of her travel following opposition to citizenship laws in the North is similar to the reputation of the country. It may be mentioned that the Guwahati tour of Abe has been postponed.