Nadda accuses Kerala govt of 'soft pedalling' radicalisation in state

Kochi, Oct 30 (PTI) BJP chief J P Nadda launched a scathing attack on the Left government in Kerala on Monday, accusing it of "soft pedalling" the "radicalisation" in the state.

A day after bomb blasts at a Christian religious gathering near Kochi rocked the state, the BJP chief alleged that it indicates how the law-and-order situation in Kerala has deteriorated under the governments of the Congress and Left parties, and how "terrorism" is thriving.

He also accused the Left government of remaining a "silent spectator" when a leader of the Islamist militant group Hamas addressed a virtual meeting organised in Kerala a few days ago.

Nadda made the allegations while addressing workers of the BJP-led NDA who laid siege to three of the four gates of the Kerala Secretariat in protest against the alleged misrule of the Left government in the state.

Later in a Hindi post on 'X', Nadda charged that radical forces are consistently gaining strength in Kerala, yet the approach of the Kerala government towards these radical forces is quite lenient.

"Even the Congress remains silent on this," he alleged.

Referring to Hamas leader Khaled Mashal's virtual participation in a protest programme organised by an Islamist group in the state recently against Israel's war with the militant outfit, Nadda alleged that he spoke openly about his organisation and that the Left government was a "silent spectator".

He said it was surprising that the ruling LDF government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and the opposition Congress have all chosen to maintain silence on this.

"What does it mean? You are bringing a bad name to the land of 'God's Own Country' Kerala", Nadda said, and asked the audience whether they could allow such things to happen.

Accusing both the Congress and the Left of being silent on "terrorism", he said the BJP demands an independent investigation into this matter.

He said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is ready to assist the Kerala government in every possible way in the investigation of this matter.

Referring to the bomb blasts that took place on Sunday in Kalamassery near Kochi, in which three people were killed, he alleged that while "going to the depths of it," it could be found that the Pinarayi Vijayan government's "soft pedalling" of radicalisation in the state has led to such a situation in a peaceful state.

Addressing the workers of NDA, Nadda also criticised the Left government over alleged corruption under its rule, claiming that mismanagement was evident under Vijayan's leadership in Kerala.

He pointed to the alleged misappropriation of Rs 300 crore from Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank in Thrissur district, and said the leaders of the ruling party were involved in it.

"This is the hard-earned money of the people of Kerala. The present government is protecting the wrongdoers," Nadda said.

The BJP chief also referred to a controversy over financial transactions between Chief Minister Vijayan's daughter's software firm and a private company. He said that the CM's daughter had received Rs 1.72 crore from the private company and sought to know "from where that money has come and who has given this".

Nadda said that youngsters in the state are engaged in drug abuse and blamed it on the "misgovernance" of the Left government.

"We are all gathered here to combat the issues of misgovernance within Pinarayi Vijayan's government, addressing the scandals and corruption plaguing the current administration. Our collective goal is to demonstrate solidarity in our efforts to bring prosperity, development and good governance to Kerala," he said.

He further said the 'dharna' serves as a platform to express the people's alleged dissatisfaction with the Vijayan government, which he claimed has been marked by disappointments and policy paralysis.

Hundreds of BJP followers gathered outside the three gates of the Secretariat around 6 am.

In view of the protest, police were present in large numbers and diverted traffic from the area to ensure that office-goers and schoolchildren had a smooth commute. PTI TGB TGB ANE