Maoists in Kerala have allegedly extended support to the anti-SilverLine protests being carried out by the affected people, backed by opposition political parties and activists.
Posters and leaflets, purportedly issued by the banned CPI (Maoist), appeared in Kozhikode district on Sunday.
The campaign materials were found at Mattikkunnu near Thamarassery. The handwritten posters call for protests against the SilverLine semi high-speed rail project. They also call Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan 'Kerala Hitler' and Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'Indian Hitler'.
"I found the posters and leaflets on the premises when I came to open my shop in the morning," a local resident told Manorama News. He said the activists of the militant Left group were spotted in the area earlier.
The Thamarassery police and the Thunderbolts special force have launched a search in the area and the nearby forests for the extremists after the local people alerted them.
Kerala has been witnessing wide protests against the state government's ambitious semi high-speed rail project with people opposing the survey procedures as part of the social impact study ahead of the mega project.
Opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP have come out against the project citing the huge environmental imbalances and economic burden the project is likely to cause.
In continuance with the stiff opposition to the K-Rail project, senior Congress leader V D Satheeshan has decided to boycott the first anniversary of the current LDF government.
Satheeshan in a statement here said that he was invited by the state government to participate in the first anniversary celebration, which is to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday.
BJP leader and Union minister of state V Muraleedharan on Sunday said the protests against the socio-impact assessment itself shows that the people's sentiments were against the project. The government's adamant attitude to get the project implemented shows that their priority is not people's interest, he said.
