CAA is a challenge to the very idea of India, violates Constitution, says Pinarayi

The Union government’s decision to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is a challenge to the very idea of India, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

Speaking at a rally organised by the Left Democratic Front against the CAA in Kasaragod on Saturday, he said the law was part of the Sangh Parivar’s longtime agenda of turning Muslims into second class citizens by taking away their basic rights.

“No civilised society defines citizenship or accepts or rejects refugees on the basis of their religion. But, under the CAA, citizenship is granted only to people belonging to six religions. It is a divisive step aimed at denying citizenship to Muslims. The countries for which the CAA is applicable have minority categories such as Ahmadiya Muslims and Rohingyas belonging to the Muslim religion too, but refugees from these categories will be excluded. Such a law is violative of Constitutional principles and values,” he said.

On RSS remarks

Mr. Vijayan said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had since its early days made clear its opposition to secularism and had also declared Muslims, Christians and Communists as internal enemies.

“They did not get these ideas from the scriptures they often quote, but from Hitler. He showed the world how to handle internal enemies through a brutal genocide. While the world condemned the atrocities, the RSS hailed these actions as a model to follow. While the RSS borrowed its ideas from Hitler, it followed Benito Mussolini’s fascist model for its organisational structure. People living together in communal amity is not something they can come to terms with. At every juncture, they have tried to spread the ideology of hatred. Even when the world condemned him, Hitler stayed true to his agenda. The RSS also follows the same path,” he said.

He said Kerala had made it clear as soon as the law was passed that it would not be implemented in the State. The Kerala Assembly became the first legislature to pass a unanimous resolution against the law. But, after initial support, the Congress took a step back and their leaders even belittled the unanimous resolution.

Loud and clear: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan speaking at a rally organised by the Left Democratic Front against the CAA in Kasaragod on Saturday.