Kerala Assembly passes resolution to scrap CAA; Centre mulls online process for citizenship in new law

The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution demanding scrapping of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), making the Left-ruled state the first to oppose legislatively the controversial law that has triggered nationwide protests.

The Centre, meanwhile, is likely to make the entire process of granting citizenship under the CAA online to bypass the opposition by some states, officials said in Delhi.

The Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) is mulling the option of doing away with the present procedure of routing the applications for the citizenship through the District Magistrates and designate a new authority.

Opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu and a ruling state Congress leader in Maharashtra wanted the respective state assemblies to follow the Kerala example in demanding scrapping of the new citizenship law.

Setting aside their political differences, Kerala's CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) and Opposition Congress-headed United Democratic Front(UDF) once again came together to launch a joint offensive against the Centre on the CAA.

While all the members of two fronts unanimously supported the resolution and vehemently criticised the Centre, O Rajagopal, the lone BJP MLA in the 140-member house, opposed the resolution, terming it as "illegal and unconstitutional."
Hours after the Kerala Assembly passed the resolution, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Parliament alone has got powers to pass any law regarding citizenship and not state legislatures, "including Kerala assembly."