An all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution to insulate Kerala’s secular democratic polity from “devious attempts to cause dangerous societal disunity”.
The twin blasts that claimed three lives and injured 41 people at a Jehovah’s Witness prayer convention at Kalamassery in Ernakulam district on Sunday prompted the government to take Opposition leaders into confidence to tackle any fraught social situation that might unfold, given the alleged attempts by certain quarters to create “enmity” between different faiths by “spreading hate, fear and disinformation.”
Mr. Vijayan apprised top Opposition leaders of the contours of the crime allegedly perpetrated by a “disenchanted” former member of the evangelist group. He also briefed them about the ongoing police investigation.
The meeting resolved to resist and defeat forces that strive to sow the “poisonous seeds” of “intolerance and hate” in Kerala society to divide people into religious lines for their political ends.
The meeting said divisive forces that seek to demonise and isolate any particular community or faith and denigrate Kerala’s storied secular democratic traditions and communal amity using a one-off incident as a pretext were “public enemies”.
The ruling front and Opposition urged the public to “isolate” such “schismatic” elements. They advised people not to fall prey to misinformation and hate campaigns.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told reporters after the meeting that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had joined the government in condemning hate rhetoric and false messaging, especially by politicians occupying high public office, targeting a particular faith in the wake of the blast.
He said the UDF backed the police investigation into the incident. It stressed the need to step up police intelligence collection and stir public alertness to thwart such murderous plots.
Apparently, echoing Mr. Vijayan’s line on Sunday, Mr. Satheesan slammed a Union Minister without naming the individual for posting a “fear and hate inducing and deeply divisive and slanderous message” on social media after the explosion.
He also criticised a top ruling front leader in Kerala for “trying to link the blast” to the State’s solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. “Such guesswork and finger-pointing in the aftermath of a traumatic crime imperils public peace,” Mr. Satheesan said.
Indian Union Muslim League general secretary and Deputy Opposition Leader P. K. Kunhalikutty slammed the controversial post by the politician as “unbecoming of a Union Minister”.
