'Whims And Fancies' Of RSS Won’t Be Implemented: Kerala CM On CAA

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday slammed the Narendra Modi government over its controversial Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA and said that the 'whims and fancies' of the RSS, the ruling BJP’s ideological parent. He said that his government would uphold the values of the Constitution.

Addressing a massive anti-CAA rally, Vijayan made it clear that the Left-ruled state would never implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

"Many people had doubts when Kerala declared that we will not implement the CAA. We all need to understand that all laws of the country must be in accordance with the Constitution. If a law is ultra vires, it won't stand," he said.

"We are required to implement the matters concerned with the Constitution of the country and not the whims and fancies of the RSS," Vijayan said.

The strongly worded remarks from the Chief Minister came after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan expressed his displeasure over not being informed about the state government’s move to challenge the CAA in the Supreme Court.

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"The Constitution has to be upheld and this is not a personal fight," khan, who arrived from Bengaluru, told reporters here on Sunday evening. "I will not sit like a mute spectator... will ensure that the rules and law are upheld", he added.

The Governor took strong exception to the state government's decision to challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) "without consulting" him and sought a report from the Chief Secretary.

On Tuesday, Kerala had become the first Indian state to challenge the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act in the Supreme Court. In its plea, the Kerala government said that the Citizenship Act is in violation of Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Constitution of India as well as against the basic principle of secularism. The petition was filed under Article 131.