‘Violence at Sabarimala unleashed by Kerala govt.’

New Delhi, Jan. 5 (PTI): The BJP Saturday alleged that the violence around the Sabarimala temple in Kerala was unleashed by the LDF government in the state, which, instead of dealing with it in a sensible way, wreaked havoc, resulting in devotees being hurt and even killed. The saffron party also said the Sabarimala issue was about Hindus and not about the ruling party. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao in a press conference claimed that Kannur, from where Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hails, had become the “epicentre” of the violence and this revealed the state government’s complicity in it. Violence involving BJP-RSS and ruling CPM workers rocked politically volatile Kannur district in north Kerala on Saturday with a number of houses and shops of rival leaders and workers being attacked. Bombs were hurled at several places, including at the houses of CPI(M) MLA A N Shamseer in Madapeedikayil, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member V Muraleedharan at Vadiyil Peedikia and former Kannur district secretary of CPI(M) P Sasi at Thalassery past midnight, police said. No one was injured in the attacks. “All this has been done by the CPI(M) goons with the full authority and support of the state government. The CPI(M) has a history of unleashing violence against the RSS-BJP cadre, but today, they are not even sparing the devotees,” Rao alleged. “The state government is using the cadres of the DYFI, the SDPI and this is state-sponsored violence being unleashed. A devotee was killed two days ago and a bomb was hurled at the ancestral home of one of our MPs,” he said. The BJP leader said the agitations at the Sabarimala temple were not political in nature, but peaceful protests to uphold the traditions of the shrine. “This is an issue of devotees, not an issue of the BJP. This is an issue concerning the Hindu society,” Rao added. He alleged that the Kerala chief minister himself was responsible for the violence in the state, where so far, over 1,700 people have been arrested. “Pinarayi Vijayan’s conspiracy in this matter is clearly visible. We condemn the fact that he has politicised the issue and is using it for political gains,” he alleged.