Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K. Surendran has said the State government was not doing enough to root out terrorist sleeper cells in Kerala.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Mr. Surendran said the government’s laxity was to blame for the Kannur train fire. “The Kerala government has a soft spot for religious fundamentalists and is promoting terrorists. The government is ignoring intelligence inputs. It is sacrificing national security for the vote bank. After the Centre banned the Popular Front of India (PFI), the CPI (M) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) are competing to recruit terrorists,” he said, adding that the recurring “train arson” incidents had sparked panic among the people.
Mr. Surendran inaugurated a one-day hunger strike staged by BJP district president M.V. Gopakumar in front of the Alappuzha District Collectorate to protest against the inordinate delay on the part of the government in disbursing paddy procurement price to farmers. Mr. Surendran threatened to launch an indefinite stir if the government failed to clear the dues immediately.