New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane’s remarks highlight Sangh Parivar’s approach towards Kerala. Vijayan said the statement of the Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister, who called Kerala a mini-Pakistan, is highly provocative and condemnable.
In his remarks at a gathering in Pune, Rane termed Kerala ‘mini Pakistan’ after the voters here elected Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra to Lok Sabha.
“Maharashtra minister’s words reveal the Sangh Parivar’s basic approach towards Kerala. The Sangh Parivar believes that it can isolate the territory where it is difficult to establish influence by alienating it and spreading hate propaganda. Such statements are made in response to that,” said Vijayan in a statement.
The derogatory remark by Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister @NiteshNRane, labelling Kerala as ‘mini-Pakistan’, is deeply malicious & utterly condemnable. Such rhetoric reflects the hate campaigns orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala, a bastion of secularism &…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) December 31, 2024
Vijayan said Rane’s remarks were a complete violation of the oath he took before taking over as minister.
“The minister who made the hateful statement does not deserve to continue in that position. It is surprising that the leadership of the ruling party in the country has not responded to the action of the minister who committed a serious breach of oath that insults the country’s constitution,” added Vijayan.
What Nitesh Rane said against Kerala?
Rane, while addressing gathering in Purandar tehsil of Pune district on Sunday, said, “Kerala is a mini Pakistan. Terrorists (previously) voted for Rahul Gandhi and now for his sister Priyanka Gandhi.”
After facing flak from the Congress party, Rane on Monday said Kerala was very much a part of India, but and he was merely referring to the issues of religious conversion and “love jihad” in the state.
Congress demands Rane’s resignation for his Kerala remarks
Earlier, while condemning Rane’s remarks, Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a note and take action against the Maharashtra minister.
AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said that his party will challenge Rane’s remarks legally and politically for branding people Wayanad ‘extremist’.
