Kerala government giving protection to political killings: Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that Kerala government is giving protection to political killings.

Yogi Adityanath, who is on a Kerala visit, said that more than 20 political workers have been murdered in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's district and it proves that the killers are being given protection.

"More than 20 murders in CM's district prove that these types of gruesome incidents are taking place under the political patronage. Those who don't agree with are meted out with such treatment. The gruesome murders of T.K. Vishwanathan, Vinod, Rajesh, and Sumit prove this," Yogi Adityanath said.

Talking about the Janjagran Yatra, the UP CM said, "There is no place for violence in democracy. This Janjagran Yatra is to senitise people against the violence and to spread the importance of dialogue among the masses. This Yatra is against Kerala's CPI-M government, which doesn't believe in dialogue and is indulging in the killing of those who are opposed to its anti-people, anti-nation policies."

"The BJP is ruling 17 states and nobody can allege that political killings are taking place in those states. But, there are allegations of political killings on the West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura governments because such types of incidents are taking place over there."

BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday launched Janjagran Yatra from Kannur.

Talking to ANI after launching the Yatra, Shah said the yatra was started from Kannur because most murders took place here only.

"Yatra is to invoke awareness. Thirteen BJP workers have been brutally murdered in a short span of time. If we don't bring awareness now, they won't stop. We have chosen Kannur because most murders took place here," said Shah.

The saffron party's 15-day padayatra will span across 154 km, covering 11 districts of Kerala. It will be BJP's first major public demonstration in Kerala as it attempts to make inroads into the state's electoral politics.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat on Wednesday claimed that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is not a victim of political violence.

Karat hit back at the BJP over its Janjagran Yatra, and told ANI, "From 2000 to 2016, 85 leaders and workers and supporters of CPI-M have been brutally killed by the RSS people, so RSS is not a victim.