Protest against Kerala CM on aircraft was 'planned attack', 'terror activity', claims LDF

As Kerala continued to witness widespread protests by opposition parties seeking Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation over the gold smuggling case, the ruling LDF on Tuesday alleged the incident in the aircraft a day ago was a planned attack against the CM and a 'terror activity' and it would be organising people's movements across the state against it.

LDF convenor E P Jayarajan, told reporters here in the evening that from June 21 the Left front would be organising district-wise people's movements to bring to public attention the activities of criminal and terror groups, those supporting and sheltering such organisations and the 'violent politics' of the UDF.

Jayarajan said the decision to initiate the mass movements in the districts was taken during an LDF meeting held during the day in the wake of the recent protests against the CM, particularly the one on the aircraft.

Referring to the disclosures made by Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling through diplomatic bags case, he alleged that Congress and BJP were defaming Kerala, the state government, the CM and LDF through her.

He further alleged that after the win in the Thrikkakara by-poll, Congress and UDF have become arrogant and these ''terror activities'' were an outcome of the same.

During a press conference earlier in the day, Jayarajan alleged that since the protests by Congress lacked any mass support of the people and their violent agitations failed miserably, they were indulging in ''terror acts''.

The protest staged by the Youth Congress activists against the Chief Minister aboard an aircraft on Monday evening was the latest example of such terror acts, he claimed.

While addressing media persons in the evening, he said that of the three Youth Congress workers accused of attacking the CM on board the aircraft, one was facing 19 criminal cases, which included two of attempt to murder.

The other two were also accused in criminal cases, he claimed.

He also reiterated his claim that the alleged attack was pre-planned and was carried out with the knowledge of the Congress leadership in the state.

Jayarajan contended that the motive behind Congress actions was to disrupt the development in the state.

Asked about the attacks on Congress offices, including the KPCC headquarters in the state capital, he said that some flex boards of Congress may have been destroyed, but he was not aware about their offices being attacked or vandalised.

He said he will look into whether the KPCC office here was attacked and added that LDF does not approve of any sort of violence against its political opponents.

Earlier in the day, he rejected media reports that there have been massive protests across the state seeking Vijayan's resignation.

''There are no mass protests in the state. Those trying to break the police barricade in many places were not the common people but criminals and quotation gangs,'' he said.

He also rejected the Congress' charge that he pushed down the Youth Congress activists inside the aircraft.

Justifying his action, the former state minister said he only tried to protect the CM by blocking the path of the protesters and the airline company and the airport authorities should have thanked him for that.

The party veteran further charged that the BJP-RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami were extending support to the Congress in their violent protests.

Meanwhile, the state witnessed massive protests by the Congress activists today seeking Vijayan's resignation and against the attack on their party offices in various places.

Police took into custody three youths, reportedly including an activist of the CPI(M)'s youth wing DYFI, for intruding into the campus of Cantonment House, the official residence of V D Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, with some armaments.

Later, the LoP said there was a conspiracy behind Left activists barging into his residence.

Vijayan has been facing protests from Congress and BJP workers ever since gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh alleged that he and his family members had a role in some smuggling activities.

The situation in the state became tense after two Youth Congress workers, one of them wearing a black shirt, raised slogans against Vijayan inside an aircraft in which he travelled from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram after it landed here on Monday.