The chances of Kerala emerging as the pivot of intense protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act became more evident on Sunday with the State committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] making a fervent appeal for a united movement and certain Congress leaders too voicing similar opinion.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) had called for the formation of a human chain linking the north and south of Kerala on January 26 as part of its sustained anti-CAA campaign. LDF convener A. Vijayaraghavan reiterated the need for ‘‘all secular and democratic forces’’ moving in tandem against the Act.
Congress leaders such as V.D. Satheesan were also vocal about the LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) harnessing their potential for a unified movement against the Centre.
The strident stance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the protests of State governments such as Kerala and West Bengal on implementing the Act has lent more verve for a joint movement.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, soon after the Parliament legislating the Act, emphatically said that the LDF government would not implement it and also took the lead to join hands with Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and other like-minded political leaders. Though the protest gained national attention, the differences of opinion within the Congress and within the UDF from allies such as the RSP and the CMP were feared to douse the enthusiasm for similar protests in due course. The State leaders of the BJP too, though feebly, had accused both fronts, of colluding against the Centre.
The emerging national scenario in which the Left parties, the Congress and other Opposition parties are seriously thinking of coming together against the Centre is likely to further increase the chances of a bipartisan unity in the State too.
May trigger violence
Once the umbrella front takes over the leadership of the protests, it would deprive chances for fundamentalist organisations to exert their influence and trigger violence in the name of protests. The fronts are likely to come to an understanding on the joint protests in the coming days, sources said.
