Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has welcomed what he has termed the BJP-RSS leadership’s decision to move from issuing ‘open threats to gouge the eyes and hack the hands’ of their opponents to end ‘the cycle of violence and conflict.’
In an FB post on Friday, Mr. Vijayan pointed out that the CPI(M) and the government had already welcomed BJP president Amit Shah’s challenge for a debate on development.
He and the Central Ministers who had reached Kerala in connection with BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan’s Janaraksha Yatra were appreciative of the State’s achievements. The ones who were repeatedly coming up with factually incorrect allegations against Kerala were the State leaders of the BJP, he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that despite such provocations, the Yatra had ended peacefully, which showed the high democratic consciousness of the people of Kerala.
The question that begged an answer was whether there was even a single suggestion from Mr. Rajasekharan for Kerala’s development. Mr. Shah and other BJP leaders should realise that India had a federal structure and that Central funds were no charity, but the legitimate revenue share of the State.
The State had always strived to protect its rights, maintaining cordial relations with the Centre. Despite this, the Prime Minister’s office was repeatedly denying meetings with him, he added.
