Anti-CAA Protests to Continue Despite Arrests: Kerala CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Coming out hard against the way Centre is handling the protesters over the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said they won”t be cowed down by threats or arrests.

All the top brass of the CPM including its general secretary Sitaram Yechuri was arrested and later let off in Delhi. In a statement issued here, Vijayan said that the BJP-led NDA government which is using the power to suppress the protesters, is even more than what was witnessed during the emergency days.

“The Centre would be foolish if they think that they can quell the protesters by arresting leaders and the people or by blocking roads. What”s happening in Delhi is a blatant violation of the Constitution that gives people the right to protest. The situation is such that even communication facilities have been snapped in the capital of the country,” said Vijayan.

“The Centre should immediately take steps to see that the controversial CAA is withdrawn. By now the protests against the new Citizenship law is gaining momentum, as this is one which is anti-Constitutional. That”s why across the country, huge protests have started,” said Vijayan.

Hearing about the arrests, the student and youth wing of the CPM staged a dharna before the official residence of the Kerala Governor. The police used water canons to contain the protesters. Likewise at Kozhikode also, similar protests have been witnessed.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader K. Surendran lashed out at film actors in Kerala who had expressed their reservation against the new Citizenship law. Surendran said that the film stars need to act according to the script in films only.

“In real life, they should not act according to scripts of others. If any of these stars had read the new law properly, they would not have any reason to express their protests. Right now we see protests here and if need be, they will be also forced to protest against the misinformation being spread about CAA,” said Surendran, whose name figures high on the list of the new president of the Kerala BJP unit.