The high-voltage campaign against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) mounted by the political parties, predominantly the Left Democratic Front, seems to have made a profound political impact in Kerala.
The angst of the minorities, both Muslims and Christians, got reflected in a human chain formed at the behest of the LDF across the State on Sunday evening. Along with others, members of both communities reached the venues in hordes to participate in the protest.
More importantly, a large number of mosques and churches under the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC) read the Preamble of the Constitution and also delivered sermons on the danger of the nation compromising on its secular credentials through the amendment.
The LDF and the State government seem to be buoyed over the public response to the chain and are determined to sustain its tempo in the coming days.
Organisations of the Muslim community were the first to publicly react against the CAA, but in due course the KRLCC that claims to have a following of about 30 lakh too joined the course in full steam. A lion’s share of the following of the KRLCC comprises the fishing community and they seem to have woken up to the political reality more than the other denominations.
The Syro Malabar church is yet to crystallise its stance. The lone voice of protest against the Act was raised by the seniormost Archbishop, Joseph Powathil who is known to respond to issues of public interest. He lashed out against the Act, while others chose to remain silent.
Mosques all over the State raised the tricolour to mark the Republic Day, rather a unique gesture, in the morning and the overwhelming participation of members of both communities in the human chain formed on the national highway across the State in the evening was a clear response to the campaign launched by the LDF against the Act.
Though the protests were launched jointly by both fronts in the initial stage, the UDF gradually backed out fearing it would be seen as playing second fiddle to its political foe in a bipolar polity and announced the decision to traverse its own course.
While the UDF remained a divided house, the LDF meticulously ironed out its strategy and succeeded in disseminating a message that the chain was planned to protect the secular fabric and had no hidden electoral or other interests.
This pronouncement gained more acceptability for the campaign amongst those sections that have been maintaining a distance from the LDF and were rather persuaded to join the protest in full swing.
