Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has slammed the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership for justifying the belligerent action of two Youth Congress workers onboard the flight he took from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. He said the KPCC’s defence of the aggression suggested a conspiracy involving the party’s top leadership.
Mr. Vijayan said the Congress, in conjunction with the BJP, had leaned on falsehoods aired by discredited proxies to unleash anarchy in Kerala. The Opposition had attempted to provoke the LDF supporters. He urged the public to peacefully resist the attempts of the Congress and the BJP to undermine the government.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said the workers had protested democratically. It had unnerved a Chief Minister facing allegations of gold and foreign currency smuggling.
An accused in a gold smuggling case had given a sworn statement against Mr. Vijayan in a court of law. The charges against Mr. Vijayan were severe and of a treasonous nature. The Opposition had a public duty to demand that Mr. Vijayan step down and face a criminal enquiry, he said.
Mr. Sudhakaran accused LDF convener E. P. Jayarajan of assaulting the Congress workers inside the aircraft. Both were seriously injured in the melee. Furthermore, CPI(M) workers vandalised the KPCC headquarters at Indira Bhavan in the capital.
Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan said the CPI(M) had unleashed aggression against Congress workers and party offices across Kerala. UDF and Congress protests against the CM were democratic and peaceful. However, the LDF had used the police to crush dissenters, he said, adding that former Chief Minister A. K. Antony, who was in his room at Indira Bhavan, had escaped injury by a hair’s breadth.
The Congress would step up its agitation for Mr. Vijayan’s resignation. Mr. Satheesan said the party would take up the gauntlet thrown down by the CPI(M). Congress workers had merely raised slogans against Mr. Vijayan in the aircraft. They had not attempted to harm the CM. However, the police assaulted workers and foisted false cases on them, he said.
BJP State president K. Surendran said Mr. Vijayan could not face the public in the CPI(M)’s stronghold in Kannur. He had become an anathema even to CPI(M) workers and sympathisers.
CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the RSS had used gold case suspect Swapna Suresh as a proxy to raise false allegations against Mr. Vijayan. He alleged that an RSS front organisation succoured Swapna, who was involved in a treasonous offence against the country. Congress and RSS were birds of the same feather. Both wanted to destabilise the LDF government. The CPI(M) would muster the people to resist the move peacefully, he said.
