Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has sought the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleging that he had given a call for violence by encouraging activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) to continue “saving” Opposition activists protesting against his motor cavalcade as part of the Navakerala Sadas outreach programme by using force.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s reaction to the attack on a protesting Youth Congress worker in Kannur on November 20, 2023, Mr. Satheesan said on November 22 (Wednesday) that Mr. Vijayan had claimed that the use of force by the DYFI workers was aimed at saving the Youth Congress worker who had tried to imperil his life by attempting to throw himself under a moving bus.
“The Chief Minister must tender an apology to the public for asking the DYFI workers to take law into their hands and step down from his post. His statement has been proved wrong as the police who booked a case against those involved have invoked Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against 14 DYFI workers. We are planning to take the legal recourse against the Chief Minister for his inflammatory appeal,” he said.
‘An election campaign’
Mr. Satheesan blamed the Chief Minister and his Ministers for using the taxpayer’s money to organise the Navakerala Sadas programme which has turned into “an election campaign” of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Opposition Leader rejected reports that a few civic bodies ruled by the United Democratic Front (UDF) had decided to extend financial support to the Kerala Government’s outreach programme. “The UDF had unanimously decided not to extend financial support for the event. Those who defy the directive of the front will not remain in their seats,” he said.
On reports that people close to Rahul Mamkootathil, the newly-elected chief of the State unit of the Youth Congress, had gone absconding following allegations of fraud in the election process, Mr. Satheesan said that the law will take its own course and the police were free to act against anybody found responsible for such acts.
