All protection for Vijayan on Mangaluru visit, assures Karnataka

The state government will ensure that all protection is given to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when he arrives in Mangaluru on Saturday to take part in a communal harmony rally of the CPI-M, a Karnataka Minister said.

Mangaluru lies close to the Kasaragod district in Kerala, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a fairly good support base. Hindu outfits and Sangh Parivar had announced that Vijayan will not be allowed to visit Mangaluru.

Those opposing the visit of the Kerala Chief Minister are agitated about the attacks on and killings of BJP/RSS activists in Kannur after Vijayan assumed office in May last year.

Speaking to media on Friday, Karnataka Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U.T. Khader said none can prevent the Kerala Chief Minister from visiting Mangaluru.

"We will ensure that the visit takes place and none is going to do anything to prevent him going ahead with it. All the security arrangements will be in place," Khader added.

Ever since Vijayan's visit to Mangaluru to take part in the communal harmony rally, organised by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), was announced, Hindu outfits and Sangh Parivar had warned that he will not be allowed to participate in the event.

The Mangaluru police have also geared up for the event and around 4,000 policemen have been drafted to ensure that there is no security problem.

Vijayan is not a stranger to Sangh Parivar's ire -- in December last year, while on a visit to Bhopal, he had to return from a meeting of Kerala-based organisations there after angry RSS and Bajrang Dal activists blockaded his path.

--IANS

sg/sm/dg