KANNUR: BJP chief Amit Shah has announced a two-week 'padyatra' against the CPI(M) for allegedly targeting his party's workers in Kerala. Addressing a rally in Kannur, Kerala, Shah said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was responsible for the violence in the state, adding that BJP workers were victims of “political murders”.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath participated in the yatra that took place on October 4, along with Union ministers Jitendra Singh and Vijay Goel. The BJP said as many as 120 BJP workers, 84 in Kannur alone, have been killed in the state since 2001. Fourteen people were killed in Kannur since the CPI(M) came to power last year. Shah said Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan was responsible for the violence in the state, adding that BJP workers were victims of “political murders”. Shah flagged off a 'Jan Raksha Yatra' in the state, announcing that 'padyatras' would be organised in all the state capitals over the issue of political violence.
Shah said the violence instigated by the Left in Kerala is a “blot on Indian democracy”. He claimed that the BJP protest was aimed at preserving the Gandhian principle of non-violence, democratic values and the country's culture. He also urged other political parties to pay heed to the violence allegedly perpetrated by the “Communists in Kerala”. Yogi spoke at the yatra saying there was no place for violence in democracy. “The yatra is a mirror for communist governments in Kerala, West Bengal, and Tripura. They should put an end to political killings. There is no place for violence in democracy, but political killings are continuing in Kerala,” he said.
Three BJP workers were attacked by suspected CPI (M) workers in Kasargod district, ahead of the launch of the 'Jan Raksha Yatra'. Police said the attack took place when BJP workers were decorating a part of the National Highway-66 for the 15-day march.
