The BJP has dispatched key leaders and ministers to Kerala for the Jan Raksha Yatra
The BJP's peaceful Jan Raksha Yatra against political violence in Kerala has run into troubled waters with a Facebook Live video from the party's top state leader showing provocative slogans being raised against a CPM leader.
In the video put up by V Muraleedharan, a former BJP Kerala President, party workers can be heard threatening to "chop hand" of a CPM District Secretary. "(P) Jayarajan, who is left with only one hand, must not be left with the other hand either," the BJP supporters can be heard chanting in the video. CPM has filed a police complaint against the BJP leader.
Mr Jayarajan, who is the District Secretary of CPM in Kannur, lost his right hand during an attack allegedly carried by BJP-RSS workers in 1999.
"They chopped off his one hand. Now they say they will attack the other. This language is to be condemned. And it shows whole of India that they are not the victims, rather they are the aggressors", CPM leader Brinda Karat said.
However, Mr Jayarajan also has cases related to political violence against him. He has been charged as a principal conspirator by the CBI in the 2014 murder of a RSS worker Kathiroor Manoj, among other cases.
The BJP meanwhile insists that the CPM is trying to ruin the Jan Raksha Yatra. "These are just unsuccessful attempts of CPM to derail the peaceful procession of BJP against CPM violence", said AJ Anoop, National Secretary for Yuva Morcha, BJP's youth wing.
The BJP has alleged that since 2001, nearly 120 of its workers have been killed across Kerala by Left cadres, 14 of them, the party claims, in Kannur since the LDF government came to power in May last year. The party had in August released a video in which the CPM supporters were allegedly seen abusing and threatening RSS workers in their slogan-shouting.
The BJP has dispatched key leaders and ministers to Kerala for the Jan Raksha (protect the people) yatra - meant to highlight what the BJP calls the ruling CPM's "murder politics". The yatra, which was launched by BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday, has also seen participation from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.