‘Difficult For a State to Say it Won’t Implement CAA,’ Admits Senior Congress Leader Kapil Sibal | Watch

Speaking on day three of the four-day Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, Sibal said that this was because CAA is an act passed by the Parliament. He remarked that it was 'impossible and unconstitutional' for any state government to refuse to implement CAA.

New Delhi: Even as his own party continues to vehemently oppose the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)-National Register of Citizens (NRC)-National Population Register (NPR) troika, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Saturday admitted that ‘there is no way a state government can refuse to implement CAA as it is an act passed by the Parliament.’

His remark came a day after Punjab, a Congress-ruled state, became the second state after Kerala to both pass a resolution against the CAA in its state Assembly and decide to challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court.

Speaking on day three of the four-day Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, the senior Congress leader said, “You’re sending a message to the Union of India that all states are unhappy with CAA-NRC-NPR, wish they listen to the message. However, since CAA is passed, no state can say that they won’t implement it. It is impossible and unconstitutional. You can pass a resolution in the Assembly and ask the central government to withdraw it.”

“However say for a state to say that they won’t implement it would be constitutionally problematic. It is only going to create more difficulties,” the former minister of law and justice said.

#WATCH Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in Kozhikode, Kerala: Constitutionally, it will be difficult for any state government to say that 'I will not follow a law passed by Parliament'. #CitizenshipAmendmentAct pic.twitter.com/tNeSt5h0e5

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2020

Separately, on his Twitter account, Sibal wrote: “I believe CAA is unconstitutional. Every State Assembly has the constitutional right to pass a resolution and seek it’s withdrawal. When and if the law is declared to be constitutional by the Supreme Court then it will be problematic to oppose it. The fight must go on!”

I believe the CAA is unconstitutional

Every State Assembly has the constitutional right to pass a resolution and seek it’s withdrawal

When and if the law is declared to be constitutional by the Supreme Court then it will be problematic to oppose it

The fight must go on !

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) January 19, 2020

Kerala, on December 31, became the first state to pass an anti-CAA resolution in its state Assembly. Last week, it also became the first state to approach the top court against the legislation, urging it to declare CAA ‘unconstitutional.’