At a time when the top BJP leaders in the state are holding rallies in support of the CAA, the MLA from Maihar has embarrassed the party by speaking out against the law.

"I am opposing the CAA on the call of my conscience. This is ending mutual trust and brotherhood. People are looking at each other with suspicion. We will put our point on the party forum.

"This is my personal view. The CAA could be right for vote politics, but not for the country," he said.

Tripathi said that there is a need to talk about unemployment and not citizenship linked to religion.

"The country should not be divided in the name of religion. Either follow the Constitution or tear it off and throw it away. I come from the village and even today it is not easy to get the Aadhaar cards in the villages. Where will they get the rest of the papers from? I am speaking through my heart. If we wish to take the nation forward, the CAA should not be implemented."

Tripathi has mostly been in the news for anti-party activities. In July 2019, he had voted against the BJP over a bill and admitted his support for Chief Minister Kamal Nath. He later returned to the party.

Now his tone has changed again and could cause trouble for the party. Tripathi, a Congress MLA before joining the BJP in 2014, is also named in the police charge sheet in the honey trap case.