Kerala: UDF Holds Night March In Kannur City Against CAA Implementation — WATCH

The UDF held a night march in Kannur against the implementation of CAA. Watch the video here.

In a protest against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the United Democratic Front (UDF) organised a night march in Kannur City, Kerala, news agency ANI posted a video of the same on X on Saturday. 

The CAA, which offers citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, has drawn criticism from various quarters.

Earlier on Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated his opposition to the CAA, denouncing it as a law that fosters division along religious lines. He affirmed that the controversial legislation would not be enforced in Kerala.

"The government's stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act remains unchanged. Kerala stands united against this discriminatory law," stated Vijayan in a released statement.

Vijayan's statement came shortly after the Central government declared its intention to implement the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

However, the Congress-led UDF accused Chief Minister Vijayan of misleading the public by asserting that the CAA would not be enforced in Kerala, according to reports from news agency PTI.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, highlighted that the CAA is a central law passed by the Parliament, applicable across India, and its rules have been notified.

"To claim that the CAA will not be implemented here is baseless. Such assertions hold no validity," remarked Satheesan in his statement to PTI.

Satheesan urged the Chief Minister to exhibit sincerity by withdrawing cases against individuals involved in the anti-CAA protests of 2019 and actively joining the movement against the implementation of the legislation.

He emphasised the importance of pursuing legal avenues and conducting protests to compel the Centre to revoke the CAA.

Following the recent notification of rules under the CAA by the Central government, Vijayan reiterated his opposition to the law, characterising it as divisive and assuring that it would not be applied in Kerala.

The CAA, passed in December 2019 and subsequently approved by the President, has faced widespread opposition across the country, with critics condemning it as discriminatory. Its implementation was delayed pending the notification of the rules.