BJP leaders' opinions on Taj Mahal are proof of party's intolerance: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
In the light of bizarre remarks about the Taj Mahal by BJP leaders Sangeet Som and Vinay Katiyar, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that such opinions only showed the party's intolerance.
In Short
- BJP's Jan Raksha Yathra in Kerala aimed at stoking tensions in the state: Vijayan.
- He said the Left's Jana Jagratha Yathra will counter the BJP's "communal agenda".
- The yathra will culminate on November 3 in Kochi.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lashed out at the BJP over remarks by its leaders against the Taj Mahal, saying such views only exposed the party's intolerance towards issues that they could not associate themselves with.
Vijayan, who flagged off the Jana Jagratha Yathra organised by the Left Democratic Front from Thiruvananthapuram, criticised BJP leader Vinay Katiyar that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple .
The chief minister said, "It all began when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in that state. This shows that they cannot tolerate the name Shah Jahan, who built the heritage structure. We have to seriously think which direction our country is headed in".
Before Katiyar, BJP MP Sangeet Som had termed the Taj Mahal a blot on the Indian culture and that its creator wanted to wipe out Hindus.
Slamming the BJP and the RSS, the chief minister of Kerala alleged that the saffron party had a "clear agenda" behind raking up the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Vijayan added, "They are trying to stoke communal tensions in the country by moving towards constructing the shrine." He termed the recently-concluded Jan Raksha Yathra of the BJP in Kerala the party's attempt to create tensions in the southern state.
He attacking the BJP-led central government and alleged that the federal principles had been brazenly violated, in tune with the policy of the RSS, which believed in centralisation of power.
MOHAN BHAGWAT DEFAMING KERALA: VIJAYAN
Vijayan accused RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of "defaming" Kerala after the latter said that the state had become a place for "jihadis" under the LDF government.
The yathra is a statewide campaign that will be led by senior Left leaders. CPI's Kerala secretary Kanam Rajendran leads the southern leg of the yathra, CPM's Kodiyeri Balakrishnan leads the campaign's northern leg. CPI national secratary D Raja flagged off the northern leg of the yathra from Manjeshwar in Kasargod. The purpose behind organising the yathra is to highlight the state government's achievements and counter the BJP's "communal agenda".
Talking to India Today, Kanam Rajendran said, "This is not a negative campaign against any particular political party. The Left Democratic Front is conducting this yathra to tell the truth to the common people of this state. We do not want to degrade anyone, but will expose the communal agenda of some political parties."
The statewide yathra will culminate on the 3rd of November in Kochi. LDF leaders will march through all 140 constituencies of the state conducting public meetings at lower levels. The southern leg of the yathra will pass through assembly constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts. The northern leg will touch upon Kasargod, Kannur, Calicut, Wayanad, Malappuram, Thrissur and Palakkad districts.
(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)
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