LoP slams Kerala CM remarks on assault on YC activists; calls him 'criminal'

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan on Wednesday flayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remarks regarding the assault on the Youth Congress (YC) activists who waved black flags at him and called him a ''criminal''.

As Vijayan's cabinet colleagues justified his remark that that DYFI workers were saving lives of the YC activists and did not assault them, Satheesan alleged that it shows the CM's ''cruel'' mindset.

Condemning the CM's remarks, Satheesan said a day ago he had accused Vijayan of having a criminal mindset, ''but today I am saying he is a criminal.'' ''A person who is calling for continuing such murder attempts is not eligible to sit in the CM's office. He should step down or publicly apologise for his statements,'' the LoP contended.

The LoP further alleged that Vijayan's remarks admiring the DYFI workers' actions and asking them to continue the same in the future amount to ''instigating a riot''.

Satheesan, addressing media in Kochi, said that while the CM termed the alleged assault as a life saving operation, the police have invoked murder attempt charges against those who brutally beat up the YC activists.

The Kerala police had on Tuesday registered a case against 14 CPI(M) activists here for allegedly assaulting the YC activists who had waved black flags at the cavalcade of Vijayan in Kannur district of the state.

Police have registered a case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by the use of dangerous weapons or means), 307 (attempt to murder) among others.

On the same day, Vijayan at a press conference in Kannur claimed that workers of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) -- the youth wing of CPI(M) -- had actually saved the lives of the YC activists, who allegedly tried to jump in front of his cavalcade.

''It happened right in front of my eyes. The DYFI workers were trying to prevent them from jumping in front of the oncoming vehicle.

''They were saving the lives of the Youth Congress activists for which some force had to be necessarily used. It was not an assault. It was an admirable act on the part of the DYFI workers and my request to them is to continue the same,'' he had said.

The CM's remarks were justified by state Industries Minister P Rajeev, Revenue Minister K Rajan and their cabinet colleague M B Rajesh, who told media in Kannur that Vijayan narrated what he had seen while sitting in the front seat of the bus.

Both Rajeev and Rajesh also pointed out that the CM also asked the party supporters and workers not to be provoked by such demonstrations and to exercise restraint.

Downplaying the CM's 'life saving' remark, Rajesh claimed that Vijayan only meant it as a joke, to which Satheesan reacted that such ''jokes'' should not be made on a public platform.

Satheesan also alleged that Vijayan has become ''arrogant'' and ''intoxicated'' with the power he has and that is why he was making such statements.

''By his statement, he is instigating a riot. He is calling for continuing such brutal murder attempts,'' he further alleged.

Satheesan said that one of the YC activists injured in the assault is presently in the ICU and the YC's district vice-president, a woman, had her arm broken in the incident.

He also termed the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas -- an outreach programme of the state government -- as an ''obscene'' play and a political campaign being carried out at taxpayer's expense.

Satheesan also sought to know why the ministers were accompanying the CM as they had no role in the whole programme.

''They (ministers) are not taking complaints. The complaints they had received in May-June as part of Lok Adalats are still pending. So why are they tagging along?'' he asked.

Both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP have criticised the state government and CPI(M) for conducting the programme when Kerala was in a financial crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)