The Congress and the Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) protests demanding Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation turned into acrimonious scenes of violence and chaotic confrontations between protesters and the police across the State on Wednesday.
The State has been reeling from days of street violence after the UAE gold smuggling case suspect accused Mr. Vijayan of complicity in misusing the mission's diplomatic channel to smuggle gold and foreign currency during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration.
(The LDF has denied the allegations and “depicted” Swapna as a proxy for the “Congress-BJP axis”, plotting to undermine the government by denigrating the political executive.)
Violence galore
Unknown persons hurled a country bomb at a Congress office in Perambra in Kozhikode. Three Youth Congress leaders and a Congress worker sustained injuries when the police caned the participants of a march taken out in Thodupuzha in protest against the alleged attack on Idukki District Congress Committee president C.P. Mathew at Thodupuzha on Monday night. Mr. Mathew sustained injuries on Monday allegedly in an attack by DYFI activists.
Several Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) workers, including N.K. Premachandran, MP, were injured when a clash erupted between the police and the activists during a march in Kollam demanding the resignation of Mr. Vijayan.
The police detained two suspected DYFI actvists who trespassed on the precincts of Cantonment House, the official residence of Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan. DYFI workers laid siege to the bungalow.
Congress and BJP workers waved black flags at Mr. Vijayan's motorcade in Thiruvananthapuram. The Opposition's confrontations with the police left several people injured on both sides in the past several days.
Support for CM
Mr. Vijayan also found support from several quarters. The pro-CPI(M) Kerala Secretariat Employees Association demonstrated in support of the Chief Minister. DYFI and CPI(M) workers lined Mr. Vijayan's route to express their solidarity with the government.
The government also pushed back against the purported bid to target Mr. Vijayan. The police remanded the three Congress workers in judicial custody for staging an in-flight protest against Mr. Vijayan on Tuesday. The police had charged them with imperilling aircraft security and jeopardising Mr. Vijayan's security.
The LDF has announced public rallies across Kerala from June 21 to counter the Congress-BJP propaganda.
Swapna’s threat
Meanwhile, a combative Swapna said more "damning disclosures against Mr. Vijayan and his family" were in the offing.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran and Mr. Satheesan said the CPI(M) 's strongarm tactics would not deter Congress workers.
BJP State president K. Surendran said Congress had ceded Mr. Vijayan an advantage by tasking party workers to attack the CM. The BJP would step up its agitation.
