Thiruvananthapuram:
Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a trip to God's own country and kicked up a political row. Mr Modi's visit to the Sivagiri Sree Narayana Mutt in Kerala to take part in its silver jubilee celebrations evoked strong reactions -- a rousing welcome by BJP workers and protests by Left politicians and activists.
Mr Modi's five-hour visit to the state came against the backdrop of the Left attacking the authorities of the Mutt (spiritual institution), which is dedicated to the 20th century saint-reformer Sree Naryana Guru who preached the message of unity of humanity, for inviting the Chief Minister.
Apparently alluding to the protests against his visit, Mr Modi said, "Political untouchability is increasing in society though this great evil had been eradicated in social life to a great extent by works of spiritual leaders and reformers."
Earlier, addressing Left protesters, CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan accused the leaders of the Mutt of trying to 'saffronise' the spiritual institution. "You (
sanyasis) have no authority to cast away the ideals of the Guru", he said.
The general secretary of the Mutt, Rithambharananda Swamikel, retorted that the invitation was no political matter, and the religious institution had also extended invitations for the celebrations to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and Defence Minister AK Antony. Only Mr Modi had accepted the invitation, he said.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy took a couple of digs at Mr Modi too -- he said the relevance of the Sivagiri Mutt would not be affected due to the his Gujarat counterpart's visit. And in a reference to Mr Modi's advocacy of Gujarat as a model for the rest of the country, Mr Chandy quipped, "It is the Kerala model of development that has won national acclaim and considered as worthy of emulation for the entire country."