Continuing the attack against the BJP, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flayed the statement of BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, who claimed that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple.
"It all began when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in that state," Pinarayi Vijayan said while inaugurating the Jana Jagran Jatha, a rally that is being organised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the CPI (M,) to expose the ‘anti-people’ policies of the union government.
"It showed that they can’t tolerate the name of Shah Jahan who built the historic and heritage structure. We have to seriously think as to which direction our country is headed to," Pinarayi said.
Stating that the saffron party had a clear agenda behind raking up the issue of Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister said, "They are attempting to trigger communal tension in the country by moving towards constructing the shrine.”
He also alleged that the federal principles had been thrown to the wind, in tune with the policy of the RSS which believed in centralisation of power.
He also took the opportunity to accuse RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of defaming Kerala with his statement that the state has become a place for Jihadis under the LDF government. He described the recently concluded Jana Raksha Yatra taken out by the BJP as an attempt to create tension in the state.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac also accused the Sangh Parivar of trying to divide the country on communal lines ahead of the next Loksabha elections, using the Taj Mahal as a weapon.
"It should also be assumed that the demolition of Babri Masjid was the beginning of a long-term plan. To demolish Babri Masjid first, it was made a building of conflict. The Sangh Parivar is trying to raise similar claims about Taj Mahal as well," Isaac said in a Facebook post.