Two days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had to cancel an event in Bhopal following protests by right-wing activists, it was reported that the police advisory about the commotion was in Hindi and that this could have resulted in confusion.
The Times of India reported that the Madhya Pradesh director general of police RK Shukla has asked officials to look into the reasons that prevented the CM from attending the function organised by the local Malayali community on Saturday.
The report states that "it is also being said police had only requested Vijayan to delay his visit to the programme. Communication about the protest and request was made in Hindi that resulted in confusion."
However, sources close to the CM's office said that projecting Hindi as the reason behind the protests and subsequent cancellation of Pinarayi Vijayan's visit is just a "flimsy excuse".
"There were people who knew Hindi with the CPI(M). So this is just a flimsy excuse. Also, the CPI(M) secretary from Bhopal was also with the CM. Won't he know Hindi? Police officers told the CM to go back, don't shift the blame from RSS to Hindi," a source working at CM's office said.
Pinarayi Vijayan, who was in Bhopal on his maiden visit, was to attend an event organized by Malayali Association in Bhopal at 5.30 pm on Saturday. However, minutes before the event was to begin, several activists from Bajrang Dal and other right-wing organizations protested against the increasing number of attacks on BJP/RSS workers in Kerala.
According to reports, Pinarayi Vijayan was on his way to the venue and was prevented by the police from attending the event citing security reasons. After officers in the CM’s convoy were alerted about a possible security threat at the venue, Pinarayi Vijayan is said to have taken a call to not attend the event.
After hearing about the episode, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan telephoned the Kerala CM and expressed regrets. The police chief too met and apologized for what happened.
Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday blamed "RSS culture" for the protests.
"Generally when a Chief Minister visits another state, there are protocols. But since the RSS was behind the protests, the police remained silent. It reflects the culture of RSS," he said.
"This has never ever happened in Kerala. Recently when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kannur, a place often referred by all as a party village (CPI-M bastion), there was no issue at all. You should not forget that his visit came at a time when there was high tension in Kannur. This is the difference in the mindset and culture," he added.
With agency inputs