India: Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented in Kerala, says CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday asserted that his government would not implement the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Speaking at a function organised to mark the conclusion of his government's first anniversary celebrations here, he said, "The government has a clear position on the Citizenship Amendment Act. That will continue."

The Chief Minister said, "Our country works on the principle of secularism as mentioned in the Constitution of India. Nowadays, attempts are being made to destroy secularism. A certain group of people are greatly concerned about this. In a recent incident, a group of people were determining citizenship on the basis of religion. Kerala government has taken a firm stand against this incident."

He added, "Several surveys are being conducted in different parts of the country to create communal tension among people. But here, a survey has been completed to identify the most impoverished families in our society. Further steps will be taken as part of this survey."

"The State government has taken a firm stand that citizenship would not be determined based on religion," Vijayan added.

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The CAA was notified on December 12, 2019 and came into force on January 10, 2020.