Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Saturday responded to queries raised by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the Congress’s position on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Responding to Chief Minister Vijayan’s query, “Where was Rahul Gandhi when the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Bill erupted in India in December 2019?” Satheesan said the Chief Minister is levelling allegations that even the BJP did not think of. Rahul Gandhi was at the forefront of all the anti-CAA protests organised by the Congress, Satheesan said. “If you search on Google, you will find news and pictures in the national media related to these protests,” he said.
Narrating the details of one such news report, he cited a national daily which purportedly published on December 10, 2019, Rahul Gandhi’s remark that the Citizenship Amendment Act is an attack on the Constitution. Didn’t the Chief Minister hear Rahul Gandhi’s announcement that If Congress comes to power, it will not allow the Citizenship Amendment Act to be implemented in Assam, where it ought to prove harmful? Satheesan asked.
“By raising such questions, I am inclined to believe that Pinarayi Vijayan is speaking for the BJP,” Satheesan said in a statement here on Saturday.
Stating that the narrative suggesting the Congress’s lack of response to the Citizenship Amendment Act is solely propagated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM in Kerala, Satheesan said such narratives emerge from the fear of impending defeat.
“We won’t be surprised if such questions came from the party state secretary or the LDF convener, who seemingly speaks in favour of the BJP,” “It is disgraceful for Pinarayi Vijayan to sit on the Chief Minister’s chair and propagate such lies,” he added.
The senior Congress leader added that party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who is in charge of the AICC media wing, has clearly stated the position of the Congress on CAA.
Responding to CM Vijayan’s question regarding Rahul Gandhi’s silence on CAA during his Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, Satheesan said that throughout the journey, Rahul has been consistently speaking against the Sangh Parivar and its divisive tactics, as well as the sectarianism it promotes among the people.
“Has Pinarayi Vijayan forgotten the agitation by the Congress in front of India Gate and on the Parliament premises? If you have not noticed the news and pictures related to those protests, I can forward those to you in the capacity of being the leader of the Opposition,” Satheesan said.
“Has the Chief Minister forgotten that the UDF leaders from Kerala participated in the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh?” he asked.