On CAA, Left sees an opening in Kerala, but why is Congress, not BJP, its main target?

The operationalisation of theCitizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was a promise that the BJP-led Union government had been making since Parliament approved the law in December 2019. The notification of the rules, days before the declaration of the Lok Sabha election schedule, was expected to help the party consolidate its position among key refugee groups such as Matuas in West Bengal, which is a crucial state for the party as it aims to strengthen its position further in Indian politics.

But down south in Kerala, which has moved the Supreme Court to challenge the implementation of the law, the notification of the rules has had an unexpected effect, with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) adopting it as a poll plank. Although Kerala does not have many eligible migrants likely to come under the CAA’s purview, the Left has mobilised on the issue, conducting night marches over the past week in protest against the law.

The CPI(M) has also planned a rally in Kozhikode on March 22 under the banner of the Constitution Protection Samithi. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will address the rally and similar public events will then be held in other parts of Muslim-dominated north Kerala in the coming weeks. Besides, the Left government announced last week its decision to withdraw all cases registered in connection with the CAA protests of 2019. Of the 835 cases registered, almost 500 were in the process of trial.

Interestingly, as it builds up a case against the CAA, it is the Congress and not the BJP that is in the Left’s line of fire. Both parties are part of the national INDIA alliance and are involved in seat-sharing talks in West Bengal. But in Kerala, they are each other’s principal rivals and are unwilling to make any