Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday lent his voice of support to the growing chorus of protests against the Centre’s alleged move to stifle public expression of resistance to the “anti-Muslim” bias in the recently enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019.
In a social media post, Mr. Vijayan condemned the arrests of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat and CPI general secretary D. Raja in New Delhi and historian Ramachandra Guha in Bangalore. CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan joined him in censuring the Centre.
Mr. Vijayan said that by arresting protesters, incarcerating their leaders, and robbing citizens of the freedom of movement and speech, the BJP-led NDA alliance at the Centre had displayed an authoritarian character not witnessed in the country even during the dark days of Emergency.
The repressive character of the Centre was evident in its decision to disallow Left parties and students of Jamia Millia Islamia their constitutional right to dissent.
The Centre had shut down Internet and mobile phone networks in parts in New Delhi to choke freedom of expression and prevent citizens from mustering themselves in defiance against the law.
The Centre could not put the entire nation into silent submission. It should revoke the law and call off the police from targeting students. Kerala has cobbled together a united political front against the Act. The State was in the forefront of the growing protests against the Centre’s illiberal actions.
Meanwhile, the drumbeat of demonstrations against the controversial law and the Centre's alleged attempt to choke student resistance to the Act on campuses in New Delhi resounded across the State for the second consecutive day on Thursday.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the police fired water jets to disperse a group of DYFI activists who attempted to storm the Raj Bhavan. SFI activists demonstrated in Kollam.
CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran led the LDF protest march in Kochi. The Jamat-e-Islami and the Muslim Youth League staged protest rallies in Malappuram. Other districts also witnessed anti-Centre protests, which appeared to gather momentum by the day.
