Kerala is at the forefront of struggles against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which is an amendment that flagrantly tramples on constitutional values. The unity that we see in these struggles is a hallmark of the secularism of Kerala. It is understandable that some people might want to malign and misconstrue this movement. Kerala will respond in unison to them. Kerala's secular ethos is one that is opposed to all forms of communalism. This spirit has inspired the protests in Kerala against CAA, which seeks to confer citizenship on the basis of religion. This State is not an arable land for any kind of communalism.
The protests that are happening against the unconstitutional and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act have seen the coming together of people from all walks of life. Religious leaders, artists, writers, social workers, community leaders and politicians have joined it. People have transcended religious and caste lines to form a common front. And for such a society, they don't need an external tutelage to separate the genuine protest from those opportunists who are trying to sow communal polarization. The statement of the Hon'ble Prime Minister about Kerala, made during the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, was untrue and protest worthy.
Kerala is not willing to concede ground to those who want to make this an opportunity for communal polarization. People were warned of such infiltrators; proper caution was also exercised. The discriminatory CAA, which is a plan forged in the kiln of RSS for achieving communal goals, must be resisted with the bulwark of secularism. In this, Kerala is a model for the whole country. Our secular State has the strength to fend off any sort of infiltrators in this movement as well.
My remarks on extremist organizations like SDPI were made in good faith. Kerala is guided by the belief that secularism is the only means for defeating the communal agenda of RSS. And we will resist anyone who attempts to pollute this struggle with the poison of communalism. The Prime Minister must rectify his statement that maligns the protests in Kerala. It is unbefitting for a Prime Minister to be a part of those who are disappointed with the fact that Kerala is leading the struggle against the communalism of both RSS and SDPI.
