Thiruvananthapuram, February 19 – With the assembly elections approaching, veteran Congress leader and former Minister K.C. Joseph called on Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed Nativity Card Bill, introduced by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, warning that it could have serious long-term consequences for Keralites both within and outside the state.
Joseph said the Cabinet's decision to grant legal validity to a Nativity Card was made without adequate deliberation or assessment of its wider implications.
He asserted that Kerala is not a sovereign nation but a constituent state of the Indian Union, and any move that appears to create a separate identity framework must be approached with caution.
He likened the proposal to a revival of the "independent Travancore" argument once advanced by Sir Chetput Pattabhiraman Ramaswamy Iyer.
Citing media reports, Joseph claimed that the government plans to introduce the Bill in the Assembly on February 24, have it examined by a subject committee the same day, and pass it the following day without meaningful debate.
He questioned the urgency and asked the government to clarify what additional benefit the Nativity Card would offer when citizens already possess Aadhaar, Electoral ID, PAN cards, passports, and driving licenses.
Joseph also expressed concern that the move could inadvertently strengthen arguments for tighter citizenship documentation at the national level.
If other states adopt similar Nativity Card systems and prioritize jobs, education, and welfare benefits for cardholders, Keralites living outside Kerala could face discrimination, he warned.
According to estimates, nearly 50 lakh Keralites reside outside the state, including around 30 lakh in the Middle East countries, with others settled across India and abroad.
A policy that encourages state-based identity documentation could complicate their prospects for employment and higher education, he said.
Arguing that almost every Keralite already holds recognized identity documents, Joseph maintained that the proposed card would add little practical value and might instead create legal and administrative complications.
Introducing such a measure on the eve of elections, he added, is both unethical and lacking in mandate, urging the government to reconsider and withdraw it.