Row erupts in Kerala over CPI-M leader's comment on communalism

As a row erupted in Keralaover his remark comparing minority and majority communalism,senior CPI(M) leader A Vijayaraghavan on Thursday claimed itwas misinterpreted by the media.

The opposition Congress-led UDF came down heavily on theacting secretary of the Kerala CPI(M) for his remark onWednesday, saying he was talking ''in the language of BJP''.

At a press conference here, Vijayaraghavan denied havingsaid that minority communalism was more dangerous and claimedmedia misinterpreted the remark by taking a portion of hisspeech made at Mukkam near here.

Addressing the meeting organised at Mukkam on Wednesdayevening as part of ''vikasana munnetta yatra'' being undertakenahead of the coming assembly polls by the ruling LDF, theCPI-M leader said majority communalism could not be defeatedby condoning minority communalism.

Hitting out at Vijayaraghavan, the Indian Union MuslimLeague, a key partner in the Congress-led UDF in the state,said Viajaraghavan was ''talking in the language of BJP''.

''It cannot be treated as a slip of tongue. These wordsare from his mind,'' IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty toldreporters here.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in thestate assembly Ramesh Chennithala said while the CPI(M) hasthe responsibility to protect minorities of the country from''all sorts of attack from the BJP'', Vijayaraghavan was using''the language of the RSS''.

BJP state president K Surendran describedViajyaraghavan's statement as 'hypocrisy' aimed at cheatingthe people belonging to the Hindu community at the time of theassembly elections, likely to be held in April-May.

While launching a house-to-house campaign, Vijayaraghavanhad last month attacked the Congress, alleging it has'surrendered' to the IUML.

''The opposition (in Kerala) represents religious hatred.

The Congress has surrendered to the Muslim League, he hadsaid in Thrissur.