Shah breaks journey in Pinarayi leg of yatra
BJP chief to return after ‘busy schedule is over’
BJP president Amit Shah skipped a scheduled event in Kerala on Thursday after the state party chief announced that he would not make an appearance due to compelling reasons.
During the Jan Raksha Yatra, Shah was on Thursday supposed to lead party workers into Pinarayi, the home village of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, as part of a high-profile two-week campaign. “The PM has asked him to stay in Delhi for some important consultations. He will join the yatra once his busy schedule is over,” party’s state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said, adding that Shah would now be back in Kerala for the concluding session of the yatra on October 17 at Thiruvananthapuram.
Shah had launched the yatra on Tuesday in Kannur, a district with a history of bloody political violence that has claimed the lives of scores of BJP, RSS and Left Front workers.
The CPI(M) alleged that Shah’s decision was triggered by a lukewarm reception in the state. “Poor response forced the party president to call it a day. It shows people have rejected the muchpublicised exercise of the saffron party,” said CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
The Congress suggested that intense infighting in the state unit may have also been a factor.
“Shah’s decision to pull out clearly shows the party has run out of steam. Secular credential of the state is very strong and he can’t fan trouble here like some north Indian states,” said party leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The BJP, however, dismissed these charges. “Our political opponents are spreading canards.
People who witnessed the last two days’ developments won’t say this,” Rajasekharan said, adding that he was informed of the schedule change only in the morning.
The yatra passed peacefully through Pinarayi, where CPI(M) workers had put up large hoardings carrying pictures of the victims killed allegedly by RSS-BJP workers.
The BJP is aiming to use the rally to attack the state government on the issue of killings of its party workers and build momentum in a state where it has never been close to power. On Wednesday, the party had roped in UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who led the march and accused the Kerala government of shielding “jihadi forces” in the state.