Says govt. will not cower in fear to threat

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday vowed to “mercilessly suppress” what he described as the attempt by the BJP and RSS to foment communal trouble in Kerala.

In a strongly worded public post on his Facebook account, Mr. Vijayan said the well-rehearsed trick of the Sangh Parivar to reap political dividend by creating a schism between communities in the name of religion would not pass muster in Kerala.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government would not cower in fear in front of any threat.

Threat by Union Minister

The Chief Minister’s comment came close on the heels of the reported “threat” by Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani that the Kerala government would face dire “constitutional consequences” if it pursued its “anti-faith” agenda in Sabarimala.

Some quarters also construed the Chief Minister’s comment as a riposte to Nair Service Society (NSS) general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair who had blamed the government earlier in the day for “unleashing anarchy” in Kerala by mishandling the Sabarimala issue.

The Chief Minister said the government had implemented the Supreme Court verdict, which said men and women had equal rights when it came to matters of faith.

The government had met its constitutional obligation, he said.

‘Inimical to rule of law’

The forces that threatened Kerala Government with dire consequences for upholding the law were those that were inimical to the Constitution and the rule of law, he said.

He blamed the RSS and BJP for the violence in Kerala.

They had conspired to illegally upend the implementation of the Supreme Court order to create chaos in the State.

Their ploy would fail. The Kerala police had no political colour and had prosecuted persons responsible for the rioting, irrespective of their party affiliations, the Chief Minister said.