Kannur (Kerala) [India], January 10 : AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal on Saturday strongly criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for supporting A.K. Balan's controversial remarks related to Marad.
Venugopal said that he initially thought it was only Balan's personal statement, but the Chief Minister's endorsement made it far more serious.
"What the Chief Minister has said reflects a kind of communalism that even the Sangh Parivar hesitates to express. These are issues that should never be used for political gain," Venugopal said.
A.K. Balan had claimed that if the UDF came to power, Jamaat-e-Islami would control the Home Department, and that it could lead to more incidents like Marad. He had also warned that many more "Marads" would occur. Venugopal said it was shocking that a Communist Chief Minister chose to support such a statement.
"At a time like this, the Chief Minister is speaking a language of communalism that even the Sangh Parivar avoids. He is using communal issues for political advantage," Venugopal alleged.
Earlier, Balan had said he would not withdraw his remarks on Jamaat-e-Islami in connection with the Marad riots. He had also stated that he would neither apologise nor pay compensation despite receiving a legal notice from the Jamaat-e-Islami secretary.
Earlier, on Sunday, Venugopal, in a sharp attack at the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, said that the people of the state are "fed up" with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led administration and are determined to vote it out in the upcoming Assembly elections
Speaking in Wayanad after a series of meetings with senior Congress leaders, Venugopal said the party had held extensive discussions over the past two days and was moving forward in unity and with renewed confidence.
"On one hand, the CPM is talking about bringing the government back to power, but the people's minds are clear that they want to remove this government. Everyone is moving forward together with great enthusiasm and vision. We are going to win Kerala," he told the media.