Amid rising incidents of hate speeches and sloganeering in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday, May 25, said that there would be “no compromise with communal forces”, and warned of strong action against the elements trying to create division in society. Referring to the police action against senior politician PC George for hate speeches and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists who chanted hate slogans in a rally held in Alappuzha, the CM said the LDF has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against communalism.
"The state will not tolerate the forces trying to create a communal divide. There will be no compromise with the communal forces," said the Chief Minister. Soon after George was taken into custody, CM Vijayan termed as "malicious" the speeches made by the senior politician in two separate functions recently, and alleged that his intention was to create division in society. He also slammed the BJP for "backing PC George's hate speeches".
The Chief Minister said the Magistrate court — while granting bail to George earlier for a hate speech case — had instructed him not to commit the same offence again as a condition of bail, but he violated the bail conditions. "The Left Democratic Front stands firm in its secular policy. Strong action will be taken against the communal forces...," he said, adding that police would not be prevented from taking action against such elements.
Pinarayi Vijayan said the aim of the forces indulging in such activities was to make profits but the ultimate loss is suffered by the state and its people. Strongly criticising those who let a young boy raising hate slogans at a recent PFI rally, the Chief Minister said all those who spread hatred would be taken into custody. The Kerala police have registered a case after videos of the boy at the rally went viral. The police said the case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 153A, which deals with the offence of promoting enmity between different religious groups.
Meanwhile, PC George was taken into custody by police after a Magisterial court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to him in a case, accusing him of making a hate speech against Muslims in the state on April 29.
The 70-year-old former MLA had sparked controversy by asking non-Muslims in Kerala to avoid eating at restaurants run by the community. Addressing a programme organised as part of the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan late last month, the former Kerala Congress leader had alleged that tea laced with "drops causing impotence" was sold in Muslim-run restaurants to turn people "infertile" in a bid to "seize control" of the country, a claim that has previously been debunked as false.
As the remarks triggered widespread political controversy, a case was registered and he was arrested on May 1. However, within a few hours of his arrest, George secured bail from a magisterial court. After his release too, he made a provocative statement that his arrest was “Pinarayi's gift to terrorist Muslims.”