Not at BJP's mercy, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan hits back

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday hit back at BJP national president Amit Shah saying that the LDF government did not come to power because of BJP’s magnanimity.

Reacting to Mr Shah’s threat to oust the government, Mr Vijayan said, “Amit Shah must remember that this government did not come to power at the mercy of BJP but with the support of the people of the state.’’

He said it must also be noted that the BJP leader dared to threaten a democratically elected government because it stood by the Supreme Court verdict and is committed to protecting the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

“The remarks of the BJP president in Kannur were an attack on the Supreme Court, Constitution and the judicial system. Shah’s assertion that courts must only pronounce verdicts which could be carried out clearly conveyed the message that fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution were not meant to be implemented. These statements of Shah also revealed the true colour of RSS and Sangh Parivar,” he said.

Mr Shah’s argument that gender equality should not be implemented through temple entry laws was a precursor to the argument that caste-based discrimination must not be abolished by law, Mr Vijayan said. His rumblings also reveal their indebtedness to the obsolete views of gender inequality propounded by Manusmriti, he said.

The civil society, which upheld fundamental rights, including gender equality, must rise up against these uncivilised ideologies, Mr Vijayan said.