2024 Lok Sabha Elections: P Chidambaram Makes Congress’ Major CAA Announcement Despite Pinarayi Vijayan’s Criticism

Former Indian Union Minister P. Chidambaram made an appeal to the public to vote for the INDIA bloc in the upcoming elections in Delhi. He emphasized that the Congress party intends to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), despite it not being explicitly mentioned in their manifesto. This led to criticism from the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M), who accused the Congress of failing to address the CAA in their manifesto. In response, Chidambaram stated that the omission was due to the length of the manifesto and assured that the CAA will be repealed, not amended.

He claimed to have written every word of the manifesto as the chairman of the manifesto committee, expressing confidence in the party’s intention to repeal the CAA in the first parliamentary session under the INDIA Bloc government. Chidambaram also dismissed Vijayan’s claims, pointing out that Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor had spoken against the CAA in Parliament. When questioned about the impact of the Ayodhya Ram temple inauguration on the elections, he expressed hope that it would not influence the outcome. The Congress leader criticized Vijayan and urged the Left leader to view the election as a national rather than a state event.

He argued that the CPI(M) is primarily focused on the state and reiterated the Congress’s position as better equipped to combat the BJP and form a government in Delhi. Chidambaram concluded by appealing to the public to vote for the INDIA bloc in the upcoming elections, which are scheduled for April 26 in Kerala, with nationwide results to be declared on June 4.