Violence orchestrated to mask UDF failures, says K. Surendran

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BJP national secretary K. Surendran

The security breach involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State headquarters are part of an orchestrated attempt by the Congress to divert public attention from the United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s administrative paralysis, BJP national secretary K. Surendran said here on Thursday. He was inaugurating a march to the Secretariat organised by the BJP in protest against the attacks on the party leaders and its State headquarters.

“Even after 150 days in office, the UDF government has little to show for its performance and it is trying to mask its failures by fomenting violence,” Mr. Surendran said. He also alleged that the public debate over the Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) “sixth Cabinet-rank position” was being deliberately suppressed. Former Minister and IUML leader M.K. Muneer was appointed chairperson of the Administrative Reforms Commission with Cabinet rank, giving the IUML an additional Cabinet-rank position alongside its five Ministers, he said.

“Granting such prominence to a coalition partner, both in the Cabinet and in key government positions, warrants serious public debate,” Mr. Surendran said, alleging that the Congress was using Wednesday’s violence to divert attention from such issues. He also criticised a State Minister for allegedly suggesting that the security breach during the protest against Mr. Shah had been orchestrated by protesters. Such a statement was unbecoming of a Minister who had sworn to uphold the Constitution, he said.

Despite protesters breaching the security perimeter of the Union Home Minister’s convoy, the police had failed to take stringent legal action, Mr. Surendran alleged. At the same time, the police were quick to register cases against Yuva Morcha and BJP activists protesting against Ministers, he said. He also alleged that no strong action had been taken over the attacks on BJP district president and national executive committee member P.K. Krishnadas and that the police had failed to effectively intervene in the attack on the BJP State headquarters. “Any breakdown in law and order appears to be part of a carefully orchestrated script,” he said.

Describing the political unrest in Kerala as “government-sponsored”, Mr. Surendran said the BJP would not be deterred from raising issues concerning the people. The party would continue to highlight the government’s lapses and alleged betrayal of the public, both inside and outside the Assembly, he said.

BJP MLA V. Muraleedharan said Thiruvananthapuram was witnessing a “complete collapse of law and order”. The alleged attack on Mr. Krishnadas and the assault on Mararji Bhavan by Congress workers reflected a dangerous escalation of political violence and posed a threat to public safety, he said in a social media post.

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