Debate over CAA casts minorities at the centre of an electoral tugofwar

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s highprofile public rallies against implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) have cast the politically divided minority communities in Kerala at the centre of an electoral tugofwar.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) arguably worries that the ruling Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) pugnacious positioning for minority votes could upend traditional voting patterns that have often delivered the Opposition coalition victories, including for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad parliamentary segment in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Hence, the Congress and its closest ally in the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), are, in a way, playing defence to retain their traditional minority heartlands by counterattacking the LDF on the CAA issue.

‘CM lacks sincerity’

On Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accused Mr. Vijayan of soliciting “Muslim votes by harping on about the CAA without any sincerity.” He said the government’s electioneve withdrawal of just 69 of the 835 cases registered against antiCAA protesters in 2019 was mere tokenism. “Mr. Vijayan has allowed the bulk of the cases to remain to appease the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Mr. Satheesan alleged.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor said the ruling LDF was spreading the lie that Congress’ opposition to the CAA was at best muted. Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony said if the INDIA bloc came to power at the Centre, it would rip up the law and throw it into the dustbin.

‘State lacks jurisdiction’

Congress leaders have also averred that State governments had no jurisdiction over the Central legislation.

The LDF government has moved the Supreme Court arguing that the CAA challenged the Constitution’s basic structure.

By forcefully reiterating that the LDF government would not implement the CAA at public rallies, Mr. Vijayan has sought to project the LDF as the sole political bulwark against the “patently antiMuslim” law. The Congress has countered that the State governments have no jurisdiction over Central laws and Mr. Vijayan’s claims were mere bluster.

Banking on IUML

Minority communities seem positioned to sway the fortunes of rival coalitions, given their growing worry about the CAA, the Uniform Civil Code, and National Register of Citizens. Hence, the Congress is investing heavily in keeping them in the UDF fold. It seems confident that the IUML will anchor Muslim votes in the Opposition’s favour.

Moreover, the UDF perceives no sign of a significant shift in minority votes to the LDF.

The CPI(M) is keen on drawing the Muslim votes out of the UDF, though, it was unlikely to bet on a drastic realignment of minority votes in its favour.