KOZHIKODE: The CPM has decided to use the sentiments among the Muslim community over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as a major campaign for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The party will organise six rallies on the issue in different parts of Kerala, which will be addressed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The first programme will be held in Kozhikode on March 22, followed by Kasaragod on 23, Kannur on 24, Malappuram on 25 and Kollam on 27. The party has also decided to organise ‘night marches’ at various places against the implementation of the CAA.
Though the UDF also is in agitation against the CAA, the CPM has scored some points on the issue. Pinarayi has repeatedly declared that Kerala will not implement the Act and the LDF government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre’s move.
It remains to be seen whether the CPM’s stand on the CAA would bring in votes from the Muslim community to the party’s kitty. Addressing a meeting at Kizhakkethala in Malappuram on January 16, 2020, Pinarayi assured that neither the CAA nor the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be enforced in the state, and there would be no establishment of detention centres associated with their implementation. The speech significantly bolstered the LDF’s influence in the Muslim-majority district.
The LDF leadership is confident that the chief minister’s presence during the campaign will amplify support and augment the LDF’s vote share in Malappuram. The LDF has already orchestrated numerous night marches in Malappuram against the CAA’s implementation.
Vote bank
The party firmly believes that taking a resolute stance against the Act will significantly boost the prospects of LDF candidates in the Malappuram district. A boost in vote share will particularly help the LDF candidate in Ponnani, K S Hamsa, as the LDF had a majority in four of the seven assembly segments in the parliamentary constituency in the last assembly elections