Many Indian states ‘will not implement’ Modi’s citizenship law

Political challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are mounting with a number of Indian states saying they will not implement the contentious law seen as anti-Muslim, and backing nationwide protests against it.

On Friday, Pinarayi Vijayan, chief minister of the southern state of Kerala, wrote to 11 of his counterparts, urging them to unite and coordinate their efforts as part of the opposition’s pushback against the CAA.

“Wrote to 11 Chief Ministers requesting intervention on CAA. Why we resist?” Vijayan posted on Twitter, along with a copy of the letter he sent.

“Apprehensions have arisen among large sections of our society consequent to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The need of the hour is unity among all Indians wishing to protect democracy and secularism,” his letter said.

Meanwhile, 27 people have died in nearly a month of protests against the law, with at least 19 of those deaths reported from Uttar Pradesh state, governed by a hardline Hindu nationalist belonging to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).