KANNUR: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said that in the name of

protest, Congress is opening the door of secular

to the BJP-RSS combine. Addressing a public function at Madikai panchayat in Kasaragod district on Wednesday, he also said there was no protest in Maharashtra when the Bombay high court allowed women to enter the Shani Shingnapur temple in 2016.

The IUML, which has offered indirect support to the BJP in

, in the name of faith, should remember that it was in the name of the same faith that the Babri Masjid was demolished, he reminded. Will the IUML support the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya because it is a matter of faith, he asked.

Observing that the BJP-RSS combine was trying to unleash political violence in the state in the name of Sabarimala protest, he said the Congress is also extending support to it. The protest at Nilakkal was part of that only, he said.

Claiming that the CPM is always with the faithful people, the CPM leader said the BJP and the Congress were fooling people in the name of faith.

At the same time the Supreme Court order on Sabarimala was the result of an appeal filed by Indian Young Lawyers Association, which has links to the BJP, claimed the CPM state secretary. Appreciating self restraint of the police in maintaining peace in the state, said this should not be seen as a weakness.