Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday said the resolution passed by the state assembly demanding scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has no constitutional or legal validity.
The state had no role because citizenship comes under the domain of the Central government, he told reporters here.
"The resolution has no constitutional or legal validity," he added.
"Citizenship comes exclusively in the domain of the Central government. The state government has no role. So, why these people engaged in something which is a non-issue for Kerala?” he asked.
Pointing out that the southern state had not been affected by partition, the Governor said there are no illegal immigrants in Kerala.
The Governor has also criticised the just-concluded Indian History Congress, held in Kannur, where protests had been raised against him for his remarks on the CAA.
Khan said the History Congress has claimed that it has made some recommendations to the state government, including not to cooperate with the Centre.
The recommendations are "totally illegal" and have "criminal content,” he said.
The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed the resolution becoming the first state in the country to do so.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had stated that the Parliament alone has got powers to pass any law regarding citizenship and not state legislatures, "including Kerala assembly."
"It is only the Parliament which has got the powers to pass any law with regard to citizenship; not any assembly, including Kerala Assembly," he told a press conference here. However, it is to be noted here that the Kerala assembly did not pass any law, but only a resolution against the CAA.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday rejected BJP's criticism against the resolution, saying the state assemblies have their own privileges.
The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), becoming the first state in the country to do so.
While Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states like Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal have announced that they would not implement CAA, CPI(M)-ruled Kerala was the first to take the legislature route to register its opposition to the law.
Setting aside their political differences, the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and Opposition Congress headed UDF, once again came together to launch a joint fight against the Centre on the CAA, which has seen unprecedented protests all over the country.
Vijayan, who moved the resolution and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, who seconded it, alleged that CAA was an attempt to make India a religious nation.
The lone BJP member in the assembly, O Rajagopal rejected the allegation saying the Act was being "misinterpreted" and lies were being spread by the fronts for narrow political gains.