CM Vijayan's statewide yatra turning into law & order issue in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (IANS) The statewide yatra led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with his entire cabinet on a luxury bus, which began from Kasargod last month and is passing through all the 140 Assembly constituencies, has turned into a law and order issue.

Angry CPI(M) party activists turn their ire towards the Congress workers who wave black flags when the entourage passes through.

A peeved CM Vijayan on Sunday evening said at a public meeting that a shoe was hurled at the bus and "if things are like this then none should lament when the violators are dealt by rule book.

One shoe was hurled by activists of a student wing, when the tour party was passing through Ernakulam district and it hit the bus, while a second one hit a police vehicle following the luxury bus.

Aloshious Xavier, the state president of Kerala Students Union (KSU) -- an arm of the Congress NSUI -- condemned the act and said it was not their way of protesting and it will not happen again.

“It might have been an expression of an emotional outburst and we have told all that such an act should not be repeated again and it will not happen again,” said Xavier.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case under attempt to murder charges against the KSU activist who threw the shoe.

Even when the shoe was hurled in the same district, a Congress legislator Eldose Kunnapaly and his staff was roughed up by the CPI(M) party workers and the two are now admitted to a hospital.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said, “See, we all saw how our workers were attacked by flower pots, sticks and helmets, when they were democratically waving black flags without any provocative actions. Vijayan himself applauded the acts of his party workers and using it as a cue, their workers have now taken law into their hands and are attacking our workers. The police should register a case against Vijayan for inciting violence and giving support to the criminals who are attacking our workers,” said Satheesan.

“People are laughing after hearing that an attempt to murder charge has been registered against our student workers for throwing a shoe. Vijayan should not think he is a ‘Stalin’ and if he thinks so, then he is in for bad times. If this is the way things are going ahead, we will not sit idle and increase our protests. We have made it clear not even a paper should be thrown and instructions have gone that there should be no form of violence at all in our protests,” added Satheesan.

However, when the CPI(M) leadership is up in arms against the increasing protests that the tour party is facing on the roads, on Sunday the student wing (SFI) of the CPI(M) was seen waving black flags and rushing menacingly towards the official car of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. The SFI is protesting against the Governor's handling of the issues concerning the state universities.