Citizenship Amendment Act Will Not Be In Effect In Kerala

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government will not implement the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Speaking at a function marking the first anniversary of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan said, "The state government has taken a firm stand that citizenship would not be determined based on religion." He added, "Our country works on the principle of secularism as mentioned in the Constitution of India. Nowadays attempts are being made to destroy secularism. A certain group of people is greatly concerned about this. In a recent incident, a group of people was determining citizenship based on religion. Kerala Government has taken a firm stand against this."

The CAA has been passed by the parliament but is yet to be implemented.

Previously, Kerala, Punjab, and Rajasthan also passed a resolution against the CAA. The Act provides citizenship to refugees residing in India since or before the 31st of December, 2014. Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Parsi refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan would be granted citizenship in India.

In 2020, the residents of India protested against the Central Government's Act. However, due to the outbreak of the Wuhan virus also known as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the protests were halted.