Protesting in Delhi, disrupting in Kerala: OJ Janeesh flags SFI's protest paradox
Sports Minister O J Janeesh criticised the SFI's protest disruption, highlighting its hypocrisy as its leaders concurrently protested the same issue in Delhi.
Sports Minister O J Janeesh criticised the SFI's protest disruption, highlighting its hypocrisy as its leaders concurrently protested the same issue in Delhi.
Sports Minister O J Janeesh criticised the SFI's protest disruption, highlighting its hypocrisy as its leaders concurrently protested the same issue in Delhi.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister O J Janeesh on Friday slammed the SFI, questioning the irony of the organisation disrupting the Youth Congress' protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while its own leaders 'boarded a train to Delhi' to protest against the same issue.
The remarks came two days after an SFI-KSU clash in Thiruvananthapuram, in which 160 people were booked by the Cantonment Police on Friday.
Janeesh questioned the irony of the SFI disrupting the KSU's protest against the Centre and CEC Gyanesh Kumar when its own leaders were doing the same in Delhi.
"The KSU's slogans were against Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and Gyanesh Kumar. How can they assume this was about their leaders and become provoked?" he asked.
"This is the same group whose leaders boarded a train to Delhi to protest," he added, pointing out the irony.
The clash broke out near the University men's hostel soon after the Youth Congress district committee's march. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and later entered the hostel premises, where they lathi-charged SFI activists. Police said the violence was triggered after SFI activists inside the hostel hurled beer bottles at the march. The SFI, however, accused Youth Congress activists of escalating the situation by throwing torches into the hostel.
According to police, cases under non-bailable sections were registered against 80 SFI activists and district office-bearers, as well as 80 Youth Congress and KSU activists.
A day later, DYFI activists attacked Janeesh's car while he was on his way to attend an official event in Kasaragod. The minister's car was blocked by around 500 DYFI workers in Trikaripur on Thursday evening, in what was the largest and potentially most volatile of the protests he faced across Kannur and Kasaragod districts that day.
The Trikaripur confrontation was the culmination of a day-long series of protests against Janeesh. The minister's vehicle was attacked by DYFI workers in Taliparamba, where protesters stopped the car and struck it with stones. Protests were also reported in Payyannur.
Speaking to the media, Janeesh termed the series of attacks a conspiracy. He alleged that the CPM leadership wanted to exploit the confrontations to provoke party workers who were affected by the major defeat the party suffered in the previous Assembly elections.