Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were “isolated” in the state with no support from people.
“The BJP and RSS is an isolated system in Kerala. They are trying to become a major political party but the people (have) rejected them. That is a reality in Kerala,” Vijayan told NDTV.
A war of words erupted between the BJP and Vijayan’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), with the two blaming each other for violence involving cadres of both parties in the state.
Congress MLAs yesterday disrupted the proceedings of the state assembly over the rising political violence involving the CPM as well as the BJP and RSS.
Vijayan accused the “BJP-RSS people” of propagating lies and said the government has appealed to all political parties “including the BJP and CPM” to co-operate with the government’s measures to maintain peace in the state.
“The people of Kerala are aware this is a malicious campaign... This is not a campaign against the LDF (Left Democratic Front); this is against Kerala, the most peaceful state... The Congress is joining them for political gains,” he said.
“We have also appealed to all political parties to take utmost vigil to ensure that their followers are not indulging in violence. There may be criminal elements who have cut into all political parties,” he said.
Earlier, Vijayan told the assembly that violence had taken place in Kerala in the past also but this time “lies are being spread... with a purpose.”
“What must be noted is that the police have acted swiftly. They have taken into custody all the perpetrators involved in the attacks - both at the state BJP office and those behind the killing of the RSS worker,” he said.
Senior Congress member K Muraleedharan said there appeared to be some sort of a pact between the CPM and BJP. He said the political violence had helped the BJP to increase its profile.
“The BJP state unit, which is struggling to save its face in the wake of a scam, got a new lease of life when CPM workers ransacked their office and then killed an RSS worker,” he said. “And Governor (P Sathasivam) finally summoned the chief minister.”
The chief minister presented a few cases from the rest of the country where Muslims have been killed by what he said were “communal forces”.
Hitting back, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said it was strange to hear Vijayan mention the killings of Muslims while feigning ignorance about killings in Kerala by his own party.
“Did you speak a word after Rahul Gandhi was attacked in Gujarat? You should see everything in totality and that you are not able to do is because you behave like a CPM leader only - when you should have risen to the level of a statesman,” the Congress leader said.
“What’s happening in Kerala is a stage-managed event launched by the BJP and the CPM and we have strongly opposed the manner in which the governor summoned you.
“In West Bengal, the chief minister refused to meet the governor while you met the governor. It was a shame for Kerala to see you sitting before the governor. You and your government have been a miserable failure on all fronts,” said Chennithala.