Muraleedharan questions legality of Kerala Cabinet's Nativity Card decision

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 25 (PTI) Senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Thursday questioned the legal validity of the Kerala Cabinet's decision to introduce a permanent, photo-embedded Nativity Card, alleging that the move was unnecessary and "politically motivated".

Reacting to the in-principle approval given by the Cabinet on Wednesday, the former union minister said the authority to determine citizenship rests with the central government and asked why the state needed to introduce another identity document when Aadhaar already contains comprehensive personal details.

"There is a mystery behind this Nativity Card," the BJP leader said, adding that the move raised serious legal and constitutional questions.

He alleged that the decision was aimed at wasting public money and accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his colleagues of eyeing election-related funding through the project.

Muraleedharan said the Left government had a history of making announcements that placed a burden on the public exchequer without offering any real benefit to ordinary people.

He urged the government to withdraw decisions that led to the misuse of taxpayers' money.

Referring to the now-stalled SilverLine rail project, he said the government was currently engaged in removing the yellow boundary markers that had earlier been installed, again at public expense.

"This clearly shows how poorly thought-out decisions are being taken," he said.

The criticism came a day after Chief Minister Vijayan announced that the Cabinet had given in-principle approval for replacing the existing nativity certificate with a permanent, photo-embedded Nativity Card.

Vijayan had said the current system forced people to repeatedly obtain certificates for different purposes and lacked statutory legal backing.

The Chief Minister said the new card would help people easily prove their birth, residence or permanent status in Kerala and prevent exclusion.

He added that the Revenue department had been asked to prepare a draft law, in consultation with the Law Department, to give the card legal validity.

The BJP, however, has mounted a strong attack on the proposal.

Party state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said the move would be legally challenged, calling it an example of "dangerous separatist politics" and alleging that it was meant to divert attention from the ruling front's recent electoral setbacks. PTI TGB TGB ROH