Kerala: BJP counters CM Vijayan's 'BJP attacking Christians' remark; 'Cooked-up, no basis'

MoS V Muraleedharan avoided commenting on CM Vijayan's remark on 'BJP attacking Christians in Kerala,' labelling it as 'cooked-up' and without any basis whatsoever. Notably, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while addressing an election rally in Kochi recalled the attacks that happened against the Christians and stated last year only 486 anti-Christian attacks took place in many parts of India. Attacking the Sangh Parivar, he said there are many who think the same kind of model can be repeated in Kerala but they are aware drastic action will be taken here.

BJP's Minister of State for external and parliamentary affairs Muraleedharan said, "It doesn't merit any reply as it is the cooked-up story. Don't know on what basis CM is accusing BJP. As per the Constitution, it is the state which has to control law & order (Sic)."

Kerala CM Vijayan slams BJP, RSS for anti-Christian attacks

The political parties in the fray for the upcoming by-election in Kerala's Thrikkakara constituency are doing all they can to turn the people's attention towards them. Kerala CM Vijayan addressing a political rally in Kochi accused the BJP, and RSS of engaging in attacks on Christians and levelled a charge of being responsible for unleashing riots against Christians in Gujarat in 1998 and also mentioned last year, there were about 486 anti-Christian attacks in the country.   

He further alleged RSS, and BJP is hunting Christians, one of the religious minorities in the country. "That hunt is still going on. Not only our country but the whole world was devastated by it. We have not forgotten the burning of Graham Stains and his two children in Odisha. The world thought that this country was brutally committing violence against minorities." 

Recalling the attacks against the Christians in the past, Vijayan enlisted the various events of atrocities against the minority community and stated, "In 1998, the Sangh Parivar unleashed riots against Christians in Gujarat. The BJP government that came to power followed suit. In 2008, there were widespread riots in Odisha. At that time, 38 lives were taken by the people who said that they are protecting the person who is now spewing communal poison for the protection of Christians. To this day, they have no guilt about it. Moreover, more than 40 women were raped there. More than 300 churches were demolished... Violence erupts in Karnataka also. The attack was carried out by Sriram Sena and Bajrang Dal. The violence continued even after the BJP came to power in 2014. In 2015, the Sangh Parivar carried out widespread violence against Christians in Delhi." 

CM Vijayan accuses BJP of supporting P C George

The Kerala CM stated the BJP came in support of the Ex-Congress MLA P C George who received bail on May 27 in the hate-speech case, in the expectation they will get the votes of the Christians by protecting him. He said, "When action was taken against a person who was spreading communal poison here, the BJP thought that they were taking action to protect all Christians by protecting him. That person who spread communal poison has the language of the RSS and the Sangh Parivar. He has a position that undermined secularism and fertilized communalism. That is why the Sangh Parivar came forward to support the person who took a communal stand and shouted slogans for him."

P C George was arrested in a hate-speech case, wherein he said restaurants owned by Muslims sold tea with 'Drops causing impotence' in order to reduce the fertility of the men and women of other communities and seize control of the country. 

IMAGE: ANI / PTI