Thiruvananthapuram: For the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, the Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) issue could not have come at a better time.
As campaigning for the crucial Lok Sabha polls gains momentum, the Left parties are putting in maximum effort to reverse the significant defeat they suffered in 2019. They consider the CAA as a major issue that could help the ruling front make electoral gains, especially in Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts, which have a sizable Muslim population.
Pinarayi questions Rahul and Kharge's silence on CAA.
The public meetings organized by the Left under the banner of the Citizenship Protection Council have turned into platforms for criticizing the Congress. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the main speaker at these meetings, does not hold back in attacking Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. "Rahul Gandhi didn't say a word about the CAA during his Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. Why is there complete silence? Why are they taking such a stand?" he asked.
The chief minister criticized Kharge for dilly-dallying on the CAA issue. The Left has intensified its criticism of Congress to gain support from the minorities in the state. This move is seen as a response to the support the minorities gave to the UDF in 2019, helping it win 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats.
The LDF's focus on the Citizenship Act has raised concerns within the UDF, prompting the KPCC to announce a state-wide anti-CAA protest. The Youth Congress has taken further action by blocking trains in Kozhikode.
The Left, on the other hand, is ensuring broader participation of organizations, including Muslim outfits. Leaders of Muslim organizations such as Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, an association of Sunni scholars, Kerala Muslim Jamaath, and Muslim Education Society (MES), have praised the stance taken by the Left leadership. However, they want all like-minded political parties to come on board to oppose CAA.
Additionally, leaders of backward and Dalit organizations are also being brought in under the banner of Navothana Samrakshana Samithi.
The Left is also making a conscious effort to ensure that these public meetings are not seen only as a pro-Muslim initiative but also reflect the LDF’s consistent stand against what it calls the Sangh Parivar agenda to turn Muslims into second-grade citizens and impose Manu Smriti-driven Hindutva agenda.
At the public meeting in Kozhikode, the chief minister spoke about CAA as part of RSS’s diabolic agenda. “The RSS has set certain targets for commemorating the centenary of its formation which falls in 2025. They opposed the constitution right from the beginning,” he said while citing the editorial that appeared in RSS mouthpiece Organiser in 1949.
RSS wants the Manusmriti to be the guiding document to run India
The chief minister also referenced Savarkar's words: "Manu Smriti is that scripture which is most worshipable after Vedas. The Hindu nation, which has been the basis of our culture, customs, thought, and practice since ancient times. This book has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation for centuries. Even today, the rules followed by millions of Hindus in their lives and practices are based on Manusmriti. Today, Manusmriti is Hindu Law. That is fundamental."
Pinarayi stated that the large turnout at the public meeting was a significant warning to the Sangh Parivar forces. It signals a unified opposition to the implementation of the CAA before the general elections. He reiterated that the Kerala government will not implement the CAA, NPR or NRC, and called for unity against these divisive and oppressive laws.
