RSS leader announces Rs 1 crore reward for Kerala Chief Minister’s head, CPI (M) demands action

“I will write my full property in the name of the person who cuts his head and brings it to me,” Chandrawat said at a rally.

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The speech of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Mangaluru last week, it seems, has irked not only the state leaders of the BJP and RSS but those across the country.

An RSS leader from Madhya Pradesh, Dr Chandrawat said during an event in Ujjain that he would reward anyone who bring him Pinarayi Vijayan’s head with Rs 1 crore, reported India Today.

“It’s a disgrace that he is the Chief Minister of Kerala,” Chandrawat said. “I have the property, which is why I’m confidently saying it. I will write my full property in the name of the person who cuts his head and brings it to me,” he declared to the audience.

Chandrawat’s violent comments come a week after the Kerala Chief Minister attended a rally in Mangaluru, where he took on the RSS and the BJP.

“Since its inception, the RSS has only propagated communalism and have tried to spread violence related to it. The RSS ideology is not in tandem with the national sentiments. Unfortunately, they have now got the power to determine the functioning of our government. The PM himself is acting upon RSS’ instruction,” he said at the rally.

“The RSS conspired for a long time, to murder Gandhi. Just as Godse used a weapon to kill Gandhi, one must understand that Godse himself was just a tool in the hands of the RSS. They even distributed sweets when Gandhijij was killed,” the Chief Minister said.

Read: Kerala CM pays no heed to right-wing groups in Mangaluru, hits out at RSS

Reacting to the RSS leader's statement, CPI (M) said on Facebook, "The frustration of the RSS is coming out in open. CPI (M) condemns it and demands quick action. Will the BJP led state government in the state and at the Centre take any action against them? Will they come out and condemn it? If no, then it is clear which ideology they are propagating and whose government it is."

Reacting to the speech, Pinarayi Vijayan in a Facebook post said, “Have read the report that a Sangh Parivar leader in Madhya Pradesh has announced reward for my head. RSS has killed many. It won’t prevent me from walking on the road. Condemning the death threat.”

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also condemned the statement, “It means that the RSS enjoy protection and patronage.”

However BJP state general secretary A N Radhakrishna said that the announcement of Chandrawat is not the style of the BJP.

“We don’t agree with Chandrawat. BJP is a party functioning on democratic grounds. The party has never deviated from it even when hundreds of workers were killed. The party believes that the fight with the opponents could be through ideology. The party doesn’t want anybody to be killed, let alone the Chief Minister. RSS national leadership has disowned Chandrawat," Radhakrishnan said in a statement.

"The people of Kerala know the CPI(M) protects murderers. They have even included such people in the cabinet. Therefore it shouldn’t try to lock horns with the BJP for Chandrawat’s announcement,” he added.

The rivalry between RSS and the CPI (M) had taken a new turn ever after the Left Democratic Front came to power in Kerala. There is a long history of political violence including murders in the state.

Following Vijayan’s statements at the Mangaluru rally, BJP state leader K Surendran said that his party has retaliated every time there was a murder and had attacked every time they were attacked. CPI (M) MLA M Swaraj filed a complaint against Surendran following this.

BJP leader Sobha Surendran then attacked Vijayan saying that if the RSS takes a decision on the issue, Vijayan won’t able to walk around freely in the state. CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan retaliated saying that if Vijayan was blocked, no BJP leaders would be able to walk on the road.

In December last year Vijayan was forced abandon his visit to Bhopal following the Sangh Parivar protest.

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