Peeved at the rising wave of resentment against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit is gearing up for a mass campaign in defence of the legislation.
BJP State spokesperson M.S. Kumar told The Hindu that the Ram Lila rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was the official roll-out of the campaign plan that is set to unfold across the country.
The Kerala unit too is gearing up for a similar programme “aimed at effacing apprehensions among minorities and other sections about the Act.”
“We are confident of dispelling the fear, generated through canards, in the minds of the people, especially the minorities. The organisational machinery is planning to conduct a series of public meetings and mass contact programmes within a fortnight across the country. They will help contain the swell of protests,” Mr. Kumar said.
The Act does not deny citizenship to anyone, but is aimed at extending it to the minorities who are being persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. The grouse of the Act’s detractors is that Muslims have not been brought within its ambit. There is no case of Muslims facing similar torment in these countries, he said.
‘Minority vote bank’
The Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front are spearheading the protests with an eye on the minority vote bank in the State.
“All these parties have forgotten their earlier demand for a similar Act. Their present objections are on political grounds and will not hold water for long,” he said.
“Can any Chief Minister say that he/she will not implement the Act after taking an oath by the Constitution. Can the LDF government say that it will not implement the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Kerala? Those objecting to the CAA should quit their Constitutional posts and join the agitation,” he said.
“Such agitations will impede the development of the nation. The present cacophony will get drowned in the BJP campaign,” he said.
