Kerala leaders condemn RSS' threat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The threat issued by an RSS leader in Madhya Pradesh against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been condemned by leaders cutting across political lines. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, BJP state general secretary A. N. Radhakrishnan and  RSS national leader J. Nandakumar,  who is the all-India joint prachar pramukh, decried the Taliban-style speech made by   RSS joint prachar pramukh, Kundan Chandravath, in Ujjain on Wednesday announcing a reward of Rs 1 crore for beheading Mr Pinarayi Vijayan.

Mr  Chennithala  demanded that the RSS leader should be arrested and put behind bars. Terming the speech as fascist, he said the RSS leadership had forgotten that the country is secular. “It is the same set of people who rejoiced when Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead. The speech was made in the presence of local MP and MLA which is disgraceful,” he said. Mr Nandakumar, a Malayali, said in  a statement in Delhi that the central  RSS leadership did not approve of the comments.  “The RSS does not believe in eliminating its detractors and it stands for democracy,” he said.

“Despite repeated attacks by the CPM workers against the RSS men,  the Sangham has retaliated only in a democratic way. On March 1, the RSS held nationwide protests  against the CPM violence and  received  support from across the country,”  he said. “Several other organisations have  also supported the RSS.  Mr Kundan Chandravath’s  comments are his own,” he said and added that the RSS fight against the CPM will continue in a democratic way.

BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan  remained tight-lipped on the hate speech.   Mr A.N.  Radhakrishnan said in statement here that the state BJP leadership does not agree with the controversial speech. He said the BJP’s style of functioning was different and that though many RSS workers were killed, the leadership had maintained restraint. “The people of Kerala know which party accommodates ministers who are murderers,”  he said.