Reacting sharply to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's decision of not implementing National Population Register (NPR) in the state, Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot on Tuesday said that 'the state government has to accept the laws made by the Centre and he should act rather than opposing it'. "Be it Citizenship Amendment Act or NPR, the Indian government has a right to make laws and states have to accept them. They cannot refuse to implement such laws," said Gehlot.
Gehlot quoted legal minds from Congress to back his claim that states have to implement the laws duly passed by the Parliament and enacted by the centre.
The Union Minister, who is also an MP from the state, urged Nath to implement NPR in the state.
"This even Congress lawyers like Kapil Sibal has said. In such situations, kamal nath ji ko kathan ki jagah amal karna chahiye ( Nath should implement rather than opposing it)," he said. "During the UPA government's rule, these laws were enacted. NPR is relevant when we do Census. No one should object to it. I urge chief minister Kamal Nath too should implement the laws made by the Centre, " he said. The minister also criticised the Congress government in the state for cheating farmers and poor people.
He further hit out at Kamal Nath for "not fulfilling the promises made to people in their mfesto" before coming to power in the state.
"They (Congress government) are going back on its promises made in the mfesto to the people. They promised to waive off loan of Rs 2 lakh but did nothing. Nothing on the matters of cow shelter, unemployment allowance or on self-help group loans waiver. Religious Yatras were banned. The allowance and grants started during the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government too were discontinued," he said.
Taking a dig at the infighting in the Congress ranks, Gehlot said that failure of Congress government is evident from the fact that even Congressmen are dissatisfied.
" All the areas where Kamal Nath government has failed have been listed by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who promised to hit the roads if mfesto promises were not kept by his government," the Union Minister said.
He further claimed that high-level discussions are underway on Supreme Court's verdict on observing that "job reservation, promotion quotas not a fundamental right".
"The Supreme Court has given a verdict on February 7 and stated that promotion is not a fundamental right. It all depends on the state government. Also relevant to the central government. The government is discussing it at a high level. Modi government is pro SC/ST and it is committed to their as well as OBC's reservation, " Gehlot said.
( With inputs from ANI )