Pinarayi criticises Centre’s constitution of panel to study demographic changes

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Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has alleged that the high-level committee to “study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons”, constituted by the Union Home Ministry under the guise of national security, is a political move aimed at undermining the country’s census process and creating communal polarisation among the public.

In a statement, Mr. Vijayan said that the committee’s framework is based on the content of political speeches made by people including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. He stated that the committee should be viewed as a continuation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] veteran accused the Centre of deliberately delaying the census, which is required to be conducted at regular intervals, for political reasons. He said the appointment of the committee was intended to further the Sangh Parivar’s politics of hatred. The move, which purportedly targets border districts and metropolitan cities without waiting for official census data, is aimed at creating fear and division among the people, he alleged.

Mr. Vijayan added that the Central government and the Election Commission of India attempted to conduct citizenship verification under the cover of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

“In a similar manner, a committee has been appointed to study demographic changes based on religion in selected regions even before the census is conducted. The move has caused concern among minority communities,” he said.

Recalling that the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has assured that the National Population Register would not be implemented in Kerala as part of the census, Mr. Vijayan urged the United Democratic Front (UDF) government to continue similar vigilance against such efforts.