Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai has rushed to clarify that BJP president Amit Shah had not said that the Centre would dismiss the state government. “What Amit Shah said was that if the Pinarayi government continues with its attempts to suppress protests then the faithful would pull the government down,” Sreedharan Pillai told reporters here on Sunday. "The media had unfortunately distorted his speech," he said.
Pillai's clarification came after Shah's comments provoked a swell of protests. Speaking after inaugurating the party's district committee office in Thiruvananthapuram on October 27, Shah had said that BJP workers would not hesitate to pull down the government if the suppression continued. In response, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that Shah's statement was challenge to the rule of law. He also said that the power that the LDF wields was not a favour done by the BJP. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had challenged Shah to dismiss the state government. "It will serve Amit Shah fine if he realises that 2018 is not 1959," Kodiyeri said. In 1959, Jawaharlal Nehru had dismissed the E M S Namoodirippad ministry in the wake of the Liberation Struggle. The CPM politburo had viewed Shah's statement as an attempt to incite violence against the state government in the name of faith. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Mani Singhvi said that Shah's statement was born out of the frustration that his party could not manage more than a single seat in the state.
Sreedharan Pillai said that the BJP would intensify its agitation to protect Sabarimala faith, and said it would begin a 'rath yatra' from Kasargod to Sabarimala on November 8. The 'rath yatra' will conclude at Sabarimala on November 13. Pillai said he along with Bharath Dharma Jana Sena leader Tushar Vellapally would lead the 'rath yatra'. Nonetheless, SNDP leader Vellapally Natesan said that SNDP would not take part in the agitations organised by the BJP. The BDJS is the political wing of SNDP.
Pillai said that when the temple opens for two days on November 5 the party cadre would be present in full strength at Sabarimala to support devotees. He said Pinarayi Vijayan had unleashed a reign of terror. “This is worse than the Emergency days. People are being arrested at midnight just because they had protested peacefully to protect faith in Sabarimala,” he said.
An estimated 3,345 people who had massed in Sabarimala and had raised slogans against women entry have been arrested since October 26. Also, 517 cases have been registered at various police stations across the state. Pillai said he would stage a one-day hunger strike in front of the Police Headquarters in the capital on October 30 in protest against what he termed 'police high-handedness.'
