Pointing out that apprehensions have arisen among large sections of society following the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, and that it is time to 'stand united and preserve our democracy', Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Chief Ministers of 11 states.
In his letter, Pinarayi has urged his counterparts to consider measures to oppose the CAA and ensure it is repealed, so that it would be “an eye opener to the proponents of the CAA and the NRC”. He gave the recent resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly against CAA as an example. On December 31, the Assembly passed an anti-CAA resolution, where it called the Citizenship Law unconstitutional and requested the Union government to repeal the Act.
He also highlighted the state’s decision to stay all activities of National Population Register as this the CM says could ultimately lead to the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The CM wrote letters to each of the 11 Chief Ministers: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, West Bengal CM Mamata Bannerjee, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.
Here is what Pinarayi Vijayan says in the letter:
Apprehensions have arisen among large sections of our society consequent to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The need of the hour is unity among all Indian who wish to protect and preserve our cherished values of democracy and secularism. People from various cross sections of the society, irrespective of any differences they might have, need to stand united in preserving the basic tenets of our polity which form the cornerstone of Indian democracy. We are sure that our unity in diversity, which has stood the test of times, will ultimately emerge stronger. Kerala has decided to address the apprehensions about NRC and that preparation of NPR will lead to NRC by staying all activities relating to NPR in the state.
In this regard, kind attention is drawn to the resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on December 31, 2019, expressing its concern regarding the impact the CAA will have on our nation's secular credentials. The resolution requested the Central government to repeal the CAA, 2019, States, which have the option that CAA should be repealed, can also consider similar steps so that it will be an eye-opener to the proponents of the CAA and the NRC.