Kerala CM Vijayan: Kejriwal's Arrest Diverts from India's Biggest Corruption

In a recent rally held in Kannur, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan voiced his concerns over what he described as the largest corruption scandal in India's history, referring to the electoral bonds issue. He accused the BJP-led central government of arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a diversion from this scandal. The rally, marking the third of its kind against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saw Vijayan criticising the central government and the Sangh Parivar for their alleged disregard for legal norms and attempts to undermine constitutional institutions, including the judiciary.

Vijayan highlighted the Supreme Court's stance on the electoral bonds scam, suggesting that the ruling party found the court's order detrimental. He recalled the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPIM's initial opposition to electoral bonds, deeming them a conduit for corruption, which led to a legal challenge in the Supreme Court. "The BJP thought they would never be questioned," Vijayan remarked, questioning the audacity behind such "blatant corruption."

The Chief Minister also touched upon the anti-CAA protests of 2019 and subsequent violence in Delhi, condemning the inflammatory statements made by Union Minister Anurag Thakur. He criticised the Congress for its lukewarm response to the CAA protests and highlighted the Left's proactive stance against the Act. Vijayan pointed out that during this tumultuous period, only A M Arif, a CPIM MP from Alappuzha, spoke out against CAA while prominent Congress leaders were notably absent from protests.

Addressing the violence that marred Delhi in the wake of CAA protests, Vijayan accused the Sangh Parivar of orchestrating attacks on Muslims with tacit approval from the central government. He reported that approximately 53 people lost their lives with many more injured or missing as a result of these riots.

The Kerala Chief Minister reiterated that CAA represents an agenda pushed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and implemented by the BJP government. He mentioned ongoing efforts by the Left party to mobilize public opinion against CAA through rallies across Kerala, with events already held in Kozhikode and Kasaragod districts and more planned in Malappuram and Kollam.

The CAA, passed in December 2019 and later receiving presidential assent, has been a subject of national controversy. It seeks to fast-track citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014. This legislation has sparked widespread protests across India, with opposition parties condemning it as discriminatory.