Sangh Peeps Into Kitchens, That's How Akhlaq Was Killed: Kerala CM Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday held the Sangh Parivar responsible for the death of Mohammad Akhlaq, the Uttar Pradesh resident who was beaten to death by a mob in September 2015 on suspicion of consuming beef.

The CM also launched a direct attack on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, saying the Right-wing leader views people from the minority community as "jihadis".

"The BJP is trying to play the communal card and the RSS is leading it. People are being divided in the name of religion and caste. The Sangh Parivar is peeping inside people's kitchens. That's how Akhlaq was killed," Vijayan said at the inauguration of the Jana Jagratha Yathra led by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"Mohan Bhagwat sees people from the minority community as jihadis. The people of Kerala and the Kerala government does not support this," he said.

Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Vijayan said, "Diwali was celebrated across India. But what did we see in Ayodhya? People dressed as Ram, Sita and Lakshman were being flown in a helicopter. Yogi Adityanath and his ministers fell at their feet.

"The name Yogi does not suit him. During BJP's Kerala Yathra he said Kerala should learn how to run hospitals from UP. He spoke about child death rate. Kerala has kept it in check. We are competing with developed nations on this parameter," Vijayan added.

The LDF yatra comes days after the BJP concluded its Kerala-wide 'Janaraksha Yathra' and includes two marches — one by CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran from Trivandrum and another by CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from Kasaragod. The LDF yathra will conclude on November 3.

Speaking at its inauguration, Vijayan said the BJP does not believe in the federal structure. "They are not ready to accept the federal structure. They follow policies of the RSS; there is no democracy, no federal structure and no secularism. They are not ready to discuss issues with states."

Weighing in on the Taj Mahal controversy, Vijayan flayed BJP leader Vinay Katiyar for his statement that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple.

"It all started when Yogi Adityanath omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in the state. It showed that...they cannot tolerate the name Shahjahan, who built the historic and heritage structure. In which direction our country is headed to?," the Kerala CM said.

Vijayan said the BJP was "targeting" Kerala as it had been able to "resist their policies and ideas". "Kerala is the only state where BJP-RSS are not able to do what they want. Their stand is that they will not spare the state which is not accepting their policies and ideas. The yathra led by Amit Shah was to destroy the state."

"Kerala has seen a lot of rallies. A rally's success or failure is decided by the people's response. There was no response from the people for the BJP's yatra," the CM said.

"In any of the BJP-ruled states, other parties would not have been granted permission for a yatra. We gave them permission and protection. This is where Kerala stands out."