Battle in Kerala
With all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala at stake in the second phase of polling tomorrow, the electoral drama unfolds with its usual intensity, underscoring the unique political landscape of the state.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated his stance and vehemently decried the Citizenship Amendment Act, asserting that it will not be implemented in the state.
During a virtual inauguration ceremony, the CM said, “CAA will not be implemented in Kerala.”
“This is the left government’s stand which we have made clear from the beginning,” he added.
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Vijayan further said that in our country, citizenship was never decided based on religion.
“Belonging to one religion is not a criterion for citizenship here; people have a right to believe in any religion or live without believing in any religion,” he said.
Excoriating the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre for CAA, the CM said, “Central government has brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act which can distinguish people on the basis of a particular religion and affect even their citizenship,” against which widespread protests were witnessed across the country.
“The Left Front has always taken a clear and strong stand in such issues. We clearly said that we are not ready to implement the Citizenship Act. Many made fun of us and asked how can a state not implement a rule passed by the Centre but the stand we took then, are taking now and will take tomorrow is that the Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented here,” the CM said.
The CAA allows persecuted minorities belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who have arrived in India due to religious persecution before 31 December 2014 to become Indian citizens.
President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the legislation on 12 December 2019. The Opposition and several groups have denounced the implementation of CAA since they believe that the law coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise is intended to target the minorities in India.
(With inputs from ANI)
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