Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday met leaders of various Muslim social organisations to cobble together a broad-based secular platform to legally and politically counter the implementation of the controversial Citizen (Amendment) Act [CAA].
A galaxy of Muslim community leaders, influencers, religious experts and business persons attended the closed-door conference.
Anxiety
Mr. Chennithala later emerged out of the meeting to tell journalists that a deep sense of anxiety about the grave implications of the patently “anti-Muslim” law had gripped the minority community in Kerala.
The Muslim community in the State was deeply anxious about the attempt on the part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government at the Centre to chip away at the secular foundation of the Constitution by muscling such laws prejudicial to the minority community through the Parliament, hurriedly and without informed debate.
He said he felt the Muslim leaders shared their concern with thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in south India and lakhs of tribal and ethnic community members in the northeastern States who felt similarly threatened by the CAA.
Against BJP campaign
Mr. Chennithala said the United Democratic Front (UDF) would hold rallies in Ernakulam and Kozhikode on January 13 and 18 respectively to counter the BJP’s disinformation campaign about the CAA.
He said the law was communally polarising.
It favoured other religions over Muslims when considering naturalised refugees and migrants for citizenship.
Against equality
The CAA ran against the basic tenet of the Constitution that reckoned persons equal under law irrespective of their religion, gender or place of origin.
Enacted alongside the National Register of Citizens, it would render lakhs of naturalised migrants and refugees stateless.
The UDF was in lockstep with the LDF in the rising nation-wide public opposition to the CAA.
Unanimous resolution
The UDF would cooperate with the LDF to pass a unanimous resolution against the CAA when the Legislative Assembly convened on December 31 to discuss the issue.
