Vijayan, Kerala BJP chief trade charges over Bhagwat’s remarks

...Bhagwatji is speaking nonsense because their outfit failed to poison the minds of Keralites for BJP’s narrow political gains.

PINARAYI VIJAYAN , Kerala CM

CM Pinarayi Vijayan and state BJP president Kummanem Rajasekheran on Monday indulged in a war of words in the wake of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s allegation that the Kerala government was helping anti-nationals.

The clash comes as BJP national president Amit Shah is to flag off a state-wide yatra by Rajasekheran at Payanur in Kannur district on Tuesday. The yatra is to highlight the attack of the CPI(M) on the BJP/RSS cadres and also against the increase in jehadi terrorism in Kerala.

Vijayan, in a Facebook post, asked the RSS supremo to come clean on what he means by saying that Kerala government is supporting anti-national forces for narrow political interests. “I understand that Bhagwatji is speaking such utter nonsense because their outfit failed to poison the minds of Keralites for BJP’s narrow political gains,” said Vijayan.

Hitting back at Vijayan, Rajasekheran said the CM was speaking like this out of guilt. “What you failed to do was to act tough against anti-national forces; and what’s wrong if a leader from outside Kerala points it out?” said Rajasekheran.

In his Facebook post, Vijayan went on to point that RSS got a foothold in many states by “spreading terrorism in the name of religion”, making communally abrasive comments and by attacks on minorities, while the Left-led secular and democratic political practices in Kerala have strengthened people’s confidence to resist all such attacks unleashed by the RSS.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said they had lost 525 workers due to violence unleashed by the BJP and RSS .