New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Ram Madhav said on Monday that there was “growing medieval Islamist dogma" present in some parts of Kerala which is now spreading in other parts as well.


Madhav was speaking to Times Now on the controversies going on in Karnataka over the Hijab row and the murder of a 26-year-old Bajrang Dal activist.


He said that coastal Karnataka is closer to Kerala which has a strong presence of radical groups like PFI (Popular Front of India) and SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India). 


He further alleged, “National agencies have been concerned about the rise of radical Islam in northern parts of Kerala. The state government sees political advantage in going soft on these forces.”


Madhav added that the Karnataka government was trying to control the situation as the region has had “simmering tensions” for many years, reported Times Now.


“Ethics, personal choice, freedom - all this should become subservient to larger Constitutional morality,” he further said talking about the hijab row. 


“The whole argument about the choice (of hijab) is utterly flawed. Your choice ends where regulations begin ... This is not a choice, this is imposing a regressive, medieval practice on gullible women,” he added.


Karnataka is facing heightened political and communal tensions due to the ongoing Hijab row and the recent murder of a Bajrang Dal activist named Harsha. He was allegedly chased and murdered on Sunday night at around 9 PM in Bharati Colony in Shivamogga city.


Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad that is a part of RSS.