Adityanath a symbol of communal strife and intolerance: Kerala CM

HYDERABAD: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday termed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the symbol of "communal violence and intolerance", and criticised the BJP for his elevation.

"Now we have Yogi Adityanath, who has charges against him for inciting communal tensions, being made the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath has always been the symbol of communal violence, riots, intolerance and hatred," he said addressing a public meeting here this evening.

The meeting was organised to mark the culmination of 'Maha Padayatra' led by the CPI(M) Telangana unit Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram.

The five-time BJP MP from Gorakhpur, who is known as the Hindutva hardliner, today took oath as the 21st chief minister of the country's most populous state. "The politics that he (Adityanath) championed was meant for doing away with whatever communal harmony that was left in Indian politics," the Kerala CM said.

Alleging that Adityanath had "spearheaded" a series of communal riots in 2007, Vijayan recalled that the saffron leader "had gone to the extreme of comparing (Bollywood actor) Shah Rukh Khan with Hafiz Saeed (Pakistani terrorist). He also spoke against Amir Khan and Mother Teresa."

The CPI(M) leader said Adityanath had also asked those who were reluctant to practice 'Surya Namaskar' to leave country for Pakistan.

He accused Adityanath of "triggering venomous communal campaign to bring Ayodhya issue back on top of the BJP'S agenda."