The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala has been among the most vocal of opponents against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. From declaring early on that it would not implement the act to stopping work on the National Population Register to passing a resolution seeking the scrapping of the CAA, the CPI(M) government has been in the headlines.
Kerala govt puts out an ad in ToI Delhi, saying it is not just No.1 in Human Development Index but also leads in the efforts to protect constitutional values. That it has stayed NPR procedures and is against CAA pic.twitter.com/fDCBrrPaGB
— Charmy Harikrishnan ചാമി ഹരികൃഷ്ണൻ (@charmyh) January 10, 2020
On Friday, residents of Delhi woke up to see front-page advertisements from the Kerala government in three major publications. The Times of India, The Hindustan Times and The Indian Express carried the advertisement, which had the title: "We are one first: Kerala as a beacon”, complete with an image of Vijayan.
The advertisement declared Kerala was "leading the efforts to protect Constitutional values", adding the "The Kerala Assembly became the first in the Union to pass a unanimous resolution against the discriminatory CAA". The advertisement noted Kerala "had taken bold initiatives to address the apprehensions of the public" and "stayed NPR procedures that can lead to a National Register of Citizens".
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In addition to the political statements, the advertisement informed Kerala "continues to lead in Human Development Index" and was ranked number one in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index. It listed achievements in poverty eradication, health standards, standard of education, gender equality and realisation of novel ideas.
Last week, Vijayan had written to his counterparts in 11 states not ruled by the BJP, requesting them to oppose the Citizenship Act. He reminded the chief ministers of the need to preserve unity and preserve democracy and secularism.
