New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that BJP workers in the state feel unsafe to venture out of their homes and said the PM should have checked data from the national crime records before making such a “baseless” remark.
Modi made the remarks in an address to BJP workers in Varanasi on Friday morning. BJP workers in Kerala are not as fortunate as their counterparts from Uttar Pradesh as they are not sure if they can return home safe without being attacked, the PM had claimed.
Modi’s remarks made in Varanasi are insulting to the high position he holds, Vijayan said in a recent Facebook post.
“On what basis the prime minister is saying there is an atmosphere where BJP workers can’t come out in open in Kerala? Which BJP worker is feeling unsafe to come out in Kerala?” he asked.
Describing Modi’s statements as “highly condemnable”, Vijayan said the PM is insulting Kerala and its people by “spreading fake information” about the state known for its peaceful atmosphere and law and order.
“The Centre’s crime records bureau has shown that Kerala has the least number of violence and murder cases. The prime minister should have checked the data before making such blunders,” Vijayan added.
Kerala, known for frequent clashes between the CPI(M) and BJP-RSS workers, had witnessed widespread violence after Supreme Court’s landmark verdict allowing women of all ages at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple last year. Over 5000 people, most of them belonging to right wing groups, were arrested following the Sabarimala unrest.
As per reports, Kerala has witnessed over 172 political murders since 2000 while at least 20 political murders occurred after the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) came to power in 2016. BJP which often used political violence as a tool to attack the left alliance had even demanded dismissal of the state government and imposition of president’s rule in the state.
The chief minister alleged that goons belonging to the Sangh “parivar” are shielded in many BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. “Sangh Parivar goons won’t get any cover in Kerala as people of Kerala together stop attempts to instigate riots. There is no separate law for Sangh ‘parivar’ in Kerala and whosoever indulges in violence will be brought to book,” reads the post in Malayalam.
Accusing Modi of making baseless allegations as he “fears a setback” in the ongoing elections, Vijayan said the RSS is continuously trying to disrupt Kerala’s peaceful atmosphere by promoting communalism.
“The RSS is not hesitant to spread lies and they have set a pattern to peddle lies, which has led to communal riots in many parts of the country,” he added.
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