KOCHI, Oct 31: A case was registered against union minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday
for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups, a move which was
slammed by the BJP.
While the party condemned the action, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology
Chandrasekhar alleged that the FIR was registered for exposing the appeasement of Hamas by Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Hitting out at the two leaders, the central minister said, on social media platform X, that the case has
been jointly filed against him by “the two INDI alliance partners”.
He accused both of them of “shamelessly” appeasing “poisonous radical violent organizations like SDPI,
PFI and Hamas”.
“So the two INDI alliance partners @RahulGandhi and @PinarayiVijayan have jointly filed a “case”
against me.
“Two of biggest appeasers in Indian politics who shamelessly appease poisonous radical violent
organizations like SDPI, PFI and Hamas, whose politics have caused radicalization over decades from
J&K to Punjab to Kerala and caused many innocent lives and security forces lives to be lost – trying to
threaten me with a case for exposing their appeasement of Hamas,” the minister said on X.
Earlier in the day, BJP Kerala chief K Surendran alleged that the action against Chandrasekhar by the
Pinarayi Vijayan government was aimed at “helping” and “encouraging” divisive forces and those with
extremist views.
“It indicates the double standards of the Pinarayi Vijayan government,” he said while speaking to
reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The party said it would face the case against the central minister both politically and legally.
The Kerala police registered the FIR on its own in connection with the minister’s recent statements on
social media regarding the Kochi blasts and a Hamas leader’s virtual address at an event organised by an
Islamist group in Malappuram district of the state recently.
A senior officer of Kochi city police said an FIR under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with
intent to cause riot) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race,
place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order)
of the Kerala Police Act has been registered against the minister.
According to the FIR, lodged on the complaint by a sub-inspector (SI) of Kochi city Cyber Cell of the
police, Chandrasekhar posted statements and video on his social media accounts with the intention of
disrupting the communal harmony in Kerala and incite violence.
The SI forwarded the complaint to the office of the Kochi city Deputy Commissioner of Police from
where it was sent to Ernakulam Central police station for urgent legal necessary action, the FIR said.
Surendran also slammed the Left government and the police for not registering a case against CPI(M)
state secretary M V Govindan for terming the Kochi bomb blasts as a ‘terrorist act.’
He also pointed out that no case was registered against IUML MLA M K Muneer and CPI(M) leader M
Swaraj for hailing the recent Hamas attack on Israel.
The BJP leader further alleged that the government was not ready to register a case against the Islamist
group that organised an event in Malappuram district recently where a Hamas leader virtually addressed
the gathering.
“But they are registering a case against a central minister who spoke out against the same. This (FIR) is a
heinous decision based on vote bank politics. It is aimed at making political gains during the upcoming
Lok Sabha elections,” he alleged.
The BJP leader also claimed that the case against the central minister was registered to appease those
who are against the country and not those who love the nation.
After reports of the bomb blasts at a religious gathering of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kalamassery near
here came out on Sunday, minister of state for electronics and information technology Chandrasekhar
put up posts on social media platform X criticising Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
“Dirty shameless appeasement politics by a discredited CM (and HM) @pinarayivijayan besieged by
corruption charges. Sitting in Delhi and protesting against Israel, when in Kerala open calls by Terrorist
Hamas for Jihad is causing attacks and bomb blasts on innocent Christians,” he had said.
Following this, a verbal duel took place on Monday between the CM and Chandrasekhar with the BJP
leader calling Vijayan a “liar” and he in turn lashing out and terming the MoS “extremely venomous”.
The CM also said that if anyone makes statements which are in violation of the law, irrespective of
whether they are central or state ministers, cases would be registered against them.
Meanwhile, the Congress has lodged a complaint with the State Police Chief against Chandrasekhar, BJP
National secretary Anil K Antony, Govindan, former Ernakulam MP Sebastian Paul, former BJP
spokesperson Sandeep G Varier and Trinamool Congress Southern Indian Chapter Convener Riva
Tholoor Philip for allegedly making hate comments aimed at flaring up communal enmity in the state.
The complaints were made by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) Digital Media Cell Convener
Sarin P.
He has sought appropriate legal action against them for ensuring peace in the state.
The blasts were set off at a convention centre in Kalamassery near Kochi where a prayer meeting of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses — a Christian religious group that originated in the US in the 19th century — was
held on Sunday.
A few hours after that, Martin, who claimed to be an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
surrendered before police in Thrissur district of the state, saying that he carried out the multiple blasts.
Initially, one woman had died and 60 were injured, six of them critically, in the blasts.
Subsequently, one of the six critically wounded — a 53-year-old woman — succumbed to her injuries.
By Monday morning, the death toll rose to three with the death of a 12-year-old girl who had suffered
95 per cent burns in the incident. (PTI)
