Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan writes to 11 non-BJP CMs for united stand against CAA
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3: Days after a Kerala Assembly resolution demanded that the CAA be scrapped, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday wrote to 11 non-BJP chief ministers asking them to take similar steps against the controversial law and pitching for unity to protect democracy and secularism.
The Kerala assembly had on Tuesday passed the resolution -- supported by ruling CPIM-led LDF and opposition Congress headed UDF -- demanding the repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Kerala became the first state to take such a course amid the continuing protests against the citizenship law in various parts of the country.
Vijayan, who has been strident in his opposition to the CAA, wrote to chief ministers of 11 states, including Bihar's Nitish Kumar, an ally of BJP, saying there was need to stand united in preserving the country's democracy and secularism.
"The need of the hour is unity among all Indians who wish to protect and preserve our cherished values of democracy and secularism.
"People from various cross sections of the society irrespective of any differences they might have, need to stand united in preserving the basic tenets of our polity which form the cornerstone of Indian democracy," he said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the media here.
Vijayan, the lone Left Chief Minister in the country, claimed apprehensions have arisen among large sections of the society consequent to the CAA.
He drew the attention of the 11 states to the resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on December 31 expressing its concern regarding the impact the CAA on the "nation's secular credentials" and urging the Centre to repeal it.
States, which have the opinion that the CAA should be repealed, can also consider similar steps so that it will be an "eyeopener" to the proponents of the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC)," Vijayan said.
The Marxist veteran expressed hope that the unity in diversity of the country, which has stood the test of times, will ultimately emerge stronger.
"Kerala has decided to address the apprehensions about NRC that preparations of NPR (National Population Register) will lead to NRC by staying all activities relating to NPR in the state," he said in the letter.
Vijayan's appeal to his counterparts comes a day after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said the resolution passed by the state assembly against CAA has absolutely no Constitutional or legal validity.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had criticised the Left government for passing the resolution and said Vijayan should seek "better legal advice."
Vijayan sent identical letter to chief ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Y S Jaganmohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh), Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) and V Narayanasamy (Puducherry).
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RCB secure IPL playoff berth with 23-run win against Punjab Kings
Dharamsala (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on fluent half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer, along with a decisive opening spell from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to thrash Punjab Kings by 23 runs and seal a playoff berth in the IPL here on Sunday.
Kohli (58 off 37 balls), Iyer (73 not out off 40 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (45) produced impactful knocks as RCB piled up 222 for 4 in 20 overs.
Bhuvneshwar (2/38) then removed the dangerous Punjab Kings opening pair of Priyansh Arya (0) and Prabhsimran Singh (2) early to all but shut the door on the opposition, who eventually managed 199 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Pacer Rasikh Salam (3/36) compounded Punjab Kings' misery by dismissing skipper Shreyas Iyer (1) in the fourth over as the hosts slumped to 19 for 3.
Late-order batters Shashank Singh (56 off 27 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (37 off 25 balls) attempted to revive the innings with a counter-attacking effort, but the towering RCB total ultimately proved far beyond PBKS' reach.
Earlier, Kohli stitched together a 76-run stand with Devdutt for the second wicket to lay the foundation before adding another 60 runs with Venkatesh for the third wicket as table-toppers RCB delivered yet another authoritative batting display.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 222 for 4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 58, Devdutt Padikkal 45, Venkatesh Iyer 73 not out; Harpreet Brar 2/35).
Punjab Kings: 199 for 8 in 20 overs (Cooper Connolly 37, Suryansh Shedge 35, Marcus Stoinis 37, Shashank Singh 56; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/38, Rasikh Salam 3/36).
