“Shah wouldn’t want to talk more about Kerala, sending a message that something wrong is happening in the state. But people know what is happening in Kerala and Karnataka.
KOTTAYAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for mocking Kerala’s safety and secularism, and challenged him to elaborate on his criticism. The chief minister also replied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe at CPM-Congress poll arrangement in Tripura.
“Shah wouldn’t want to talk more about Kerala, sending a message that something wrong is happening in the state. But people know what is happening in Kerala and Karnataka. In Kerala, people can lead a free life. However, what is the situation in Karnataka? Had Shah meant to project Kerala as a model, then it was ok. However, that was not his intention. What danger did he see in Kerala?” he asked at a function in Kottayam.
“In Karnataka, minorities had to face attacks from Sangh Parivar in several places. However, there are no communal issues in Kerala. Shah said he had nothing more to say. Why did he stop halfway? Kerala is a place of secularism,” Pinarayi said.
In a public event in Karnataka, Shah had said: “There is an example of Kerala in your neighbourhood. I don’t want to say more. Only the BJP under Narendra Modi’s leadership can protect Karnataka.”
CPM endured several hardships in Tripura: CM
Responding to the prime minister’s “Kushti in Kerala, dosti in Tripura” remark, Pinarayi said CPM had come through several hardships in Tripura. “CPM had faced several attacks much before the ones that BJP has unleashed in Tripura now.
The attacks faced by the Nripan Chakravarthy-led government in Tripura are part of the history.” The Congress-led government had used the powers of the Centre to topple the government that came to power with people’s mandate.
The CPM has a history of successfully countering the attacks of the Congress, he said. Pinarayi said Tripura became a land of atrocities by the BJP. “Ordinary life is not possible in Tripura in view of the attacks by the goonda gangs of BJP, who are being protected and supported by the government. Some understandings have been made in view of such a peculiar situation prevailing in Tripura,” he added.
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