Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of “lacking sincerity” in opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as his government “failed to withdraw the cases” registered against over 800 persons who protested after it was passed by Parliament in 2019.
“The Chief Minister had assured that the cases would be withdrawn. He should answer why he failed to keep his promise even after about five years of registering the case against the protesters. Is the government siding with the Centre by not withdrawing the cases?” asked Mr. Satheesan in Kochi on March 12 (Tuesday).
Recalling that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had repeatedly raised the issue in the Assembly and outside, Mr. Satheesan alleged that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government “did not have even an iota of genuineness” in its opposition to the CAA as it failed to keep the promise of withdrawing the cases.
Explaining that the UDF and the Congress will organise a series of protests against the implementation of the CAA, Mr. Satheesan alleged that the Sangh Parivar will do anything to retain power. The developments also showed the threat to the secular and democratic credentials of the country as enshrined in the Constitution when the Congress is not in power at the Centre, he said.
Senior leaders in LS polls
Mr. Satheesan said the Congress party has fielded several senior leaders, including K.C. Venugopal, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with the aim of winning all the seats.
“Our (the Congress party’s) aim is to increase the presence of members of the INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha, unlike the CPI(M) in Kerala which prefers to sit in the Opposition benches,” he said.
