CAA Takes Center Stage in Kerala’s Election Campaign

As Kerala gears up for single-phase polling to its 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has emerged as a prominent issue in the election campaign, intensifying the rivalry between the state’s traditional political adversaries, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M and the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress.

With nearly 24 percent of the state’s population being Muslim, the CAA has become a focal point of contention between the two political blocs. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, vehemently opposed to the CAA since its passage in 2019, has consistently assured that it won’t be implemented in Kerala. The state assembly even passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the provision, supported by the opposition led by the Congress.

In the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Vijayan has revived the issue to criticize the Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi, the MP from Kerala. He accused the Congress of remaining silent on the CAA, even during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

“Just look at the Congress manifesto, there is total silence on what they will do if they come to power with regards to the CAA. Is it not clear that they are hand in glove with the BJP with regards to the CAA,” he claimed.

The Congress, in response, accused Vijayan of pandering to the BJP by attacking Rahul Gandhi.

Despite criticism, Vijayan refuses to abandon the issue, highlighting the Left’s consistent opposition to the CAA and contrasting it with what he perceives as the Congress’s ambiguous stance. The Congress, however, defends itself, stating that Rahul Gandhi has actively protested against the CAA, despite facing legal challenges as a result.

Meanwhile, the BJP seeks to capitalize on the situation, accusing both the LDF and UDF of hypocrisy and suggesting that they prioritize garnering Muslim votes over genuine political ideology. State BJP President K. Surendran emphasized that the people of Kerala have grown wise to this tactic and are no longer swayed by it.

“They hug in Delhi and they fight in Kerala. This tactic will not work anymore,” he said.