Pinarayi should have sought legal advice: Prasad

He accuses vested interests of launching a disinformation campaign with devious political intent on CAA

Union Law Minister Ravisankar Prasad and other BJP leaders at a campaign organised by the party in defence of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. S.Gopakumar

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should have sought better legal advice while making the Assembly pass resolutions against legislation such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravisankar Prasad has said.

Mr. Prasad told reporters here on Tuesday that if other States decide not to abide by the laws passed by Kerala, including the ones for handing over criminals arrested within their ambit, it would lead to lawlessness.

Centre’s stand

The Centre respects dissent, but not violence and mayhem in the name of the Act. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others in government are open to criticism, but would not allow to break the nation, Mr. Prasad said and added that organisations such as the Popular Front of India have a role in the agitations.

Citing the protests in Mumbai, with the participation of film personalities, he said they were raising slogans for ‘azadi’ (freedom).

They should contest and defeat the BJP in elections, he said, and clarified that Mr. Modi had reiterated that the government had not taken a call on the National Register for Citizens so far.

Disinformation

Mr. Ravisankar, who described the Act as constitutional and legal, accused vested interests of launching a disinformation campaign with devious political intent. He accused the Congress of adopting double standards on the issue.

Mr. Modi was implementing only what the previous United Progressive Alliance regimes had initiated.

It was unfortunate that the Congress, despite administering the country for long, has become part of the campaign.

“The Congress and the family have not yet reconciled to Mr. Modi’s election as Prime Minister,” he said.

Flays historian

He condemned the protests against Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at the Indian History Congress in Kannur and said those who accuse the Centre of curbing dissent are unwilling to heed contrarian views.

Historian Irfan Habib had made a public call against voting for Mr. Modi in 2014. If Mr. Habib had a disagreement on what Mr. Khan said, he could have taken it up later in his speech, Mr. Prasad said.