BHOPAL: The Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh might be headed towards a possible conflict-like situation between the state government and the Raj Bhawan if Chief Minister Kamal Nath goes ahead with his decision not to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the state.
The state’s Governor Lalji Tandon has made it clear that no state in the country can refuse to implement a law which has been enacted after being passed by Parliament and subsequent Presidential assent.
"There is a Lakshman Rekha (restriction) in the Constitution for state governments. Any bill passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and thereafter given the Presidential assent becomes a law. So which state in the country can deny implementing it," said Tandon.
The Governor’s statement is being seen as an indication about a possible conflict-like situation between the Raj Bhawan and the state government if the Congress government stuck to its present stand on the CAA.
Non-BJP ruled states, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Kerala and Chhattisgarh, have either passed resolutions via the state assemblies or via the cabinet against the CAA.
In MP, where the Congress returned to power in the state after 15 years in December 2018, CM Kamal Nath too has made it clear that the CAA won't be implemented. The CM had even led a rally on the streets of Bhopal against the CAA in December 2019.
Talking to journalists on Friday evening after the inauguration of a media room at the Raj Bhawan, the Governor, however, lauded the state's CM for decisions like building Ram Van Gaman Path in the state, announcing to build the Sita Temple in Sri Lanka and Hanuman Chalisa Path at Bhopal's Minto Hall on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary on Thursday.
"The CM is upholding the Sanatan culture, I like him for that," the Governor said.
The Governor's appreciation of Kamal Nath gave Congress leader Narendra Saluja (also the media coordinator to the CM) ammo to mock the BJP for opposing the CM's decisions.