Amit Shah addressed a rally in Kannur with BJP karyakartas in attendance. (Source: Amit Shah/ Facebook) Amit Shah addressed a rally in Kannur with BJP karyakartas in attendance. (Source: Amit Shah/ Facebook)

Condemning the arrest of devotees protesting against the Kerala government’s decision to implement the Supreme Court’s verdict on Sabarimala, BJP Chief Amit Shah Saturday said the party was “standing like a rock” with the worshippers.

“Today in Kerala a struggle is going on between religious beliefs and state government’s cruelty. More than 2,000 activists and workers from BJP, RSS and other organisations have been arrested. BJP is standing like a rock with devotees, Left government be warned,” Shah said, adding that the saffron party won’t allow the CPI(M)-led government to “gamble with Hindu faith.”

With 2,061 people arrested in Kerala after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a crackdown on those defying the order, Shah said, “In the name of court judgment, those who want to incite violence, let me tell you that there are many temples which run on different rules and norms.”

Amit Shah in Kannur | Read in Malayalam

Alleging that the LDF government was trying to ‘suppress’ the agitation by Lord Ayyappa devotees using police force, Shah said, “The Kerala government is insulting Ayyappa devotees. How can they arrest devotees who chant hymns.”

Hitting back at Shah, CM Vijayan stated that the BJP chief’s remarks in Kannur “are an attack on Supreme Court and constitution.” “His assertion that courts must limit themselves to easily implementable judgements conveys a disinterest to protect the fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution,” CM Vijayan said.

The remarks of BJP President Amit Shah in Kannur are an attack on Supreme Court, Indian Constitution and our judicial system. BJP president’s assertion that courts must only pronounce verdicts which could be… https://t.co/NRMEp66FYQ — Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) October 27, 2018

The chief minister said, “Shah’s statement also reveals the true colour of RSS and Sangh Parivar.”

Shah arrived at the Kannur international airport in Mattanur on Saturday morning, becoming the first passenger to land at the airport, even before its inauguration. The date of the airport’s commercial opening has not been decided yet but it is set to be inaugurated in December after Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) gets the aerodrome license from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

BJP workers outside the Kannur airport to welcome party president Amit Shah. (Express photo) BJP workers outside the Kannur airport to welcome party president Amit Shah. (Express photo)

The airport will be a big boost for the people of Kannur, who have had to depend on either the Karippur airport in Kozhikode district or the Mangalore airport in neighbouring Karnataka till now. The airport has been built on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model at Mattanur, 30 km from Kannur town. It will be the fourth international airport in the state — the others are at Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

With PTI inputs

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