Summary:
Kozhikode, Sep 15 (PTI) Even as peace initiatives started at the ground level with meetings of religious leaders in connection with the controversial "narcotic jihad" remarks by Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese, senior UDF and LDF leaders continued to accuse the Sangh Parivar of attempting to disrupt communal harmony in Kerala.
The Congress-led coalition UDF also blamed the LDF government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for allegedly waiting to see the different religious communities clash and collapse instead of taking steps, like holding an all-party meeting, to resolve the issue and prevent communal disharmony in the state.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said that the CPI(M) has appeared to have patched things up with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the alleged political arm of the extremist Islamic organisation Popular Front of India, whose members had marched in protest to the Pala Bishop"s residence over his remark.
Satheesan, while speaking to the media, said that CPI(M) does not hesitate to join hands with any "communal monster" to defeat the UDF and the Left government was watching as some try to pit two communities against each other.
"Does the state government have the same agenda as the Sangh Parivar? Is the CM enjoying this conflict? Despite calls for an all-party meeting to maintain religious harmony, the government is not ready.
If the government does not make an effort to solve the problem, the UDF will have to do the same," he said and added that the Congress does not associate with minority or majority communal forces.