Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said on Saturday that Kerala had become a hotspot of political murders and hence it was high time Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan left the Home portfolio.
He was addressing a gathering at Madhava Junction at Haripad where he launched a 12-hour satyagraha opposing atrocities against women and terror unleashed by goondas in the State.
He said the government was unable to eliminate goonda activities. Several Superintendents of Police were transferred and conciliation meetings of political parties held at various places, but the law-and-order situation remained grim.
The police were unable to work independently, he said. The attack on a woman actor in Ernakulam on Friday was the latest incident in a series of criminal activities happening in the State.
Right path
Inaugurating the satyagraha, P. Gopinathan Nair, Gandhian and social worker, said the programme would help people think about the right path. People should unite for good causes, rising above political connections, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Mavelikara diocese bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios said people should give a strong message against murder and violence. He expressed concern over the government’s liquor policy initiatives.
Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran conveyed their support through telephonic messages. Several leaders, including Kodikunnil Suresh and K.C. Venugopal, MPs, spoke.
