Sabarimala row: Amit Shah can't execute his plans in Kerala, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Amid the ongoing Sabarimala temple row, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused BJP president Amit Shah of trying to destabilize his government for implementing Supreme Court's order.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. PTI Photo

KOCHI: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said people of the southern state won't let BJP president Amit Shah destabilize the CPIM-led LDF government on the ongoing Sabarimala issue. He said the soil of Kerala is not the right place for Amit Shah to execute his plans and that he won't let anyone convert Sabarimala temple into a centre of unrest. "Heard that Shah has done certain things in certain places. He may have many such wishes. But the soil of this state is different and it is not the right place for executing his such plans," PTI quoted Vijayan as saying during a rally in Kochi. He said the BJP presidents attempts to "destabilise the LDF government will be crushed by the people of Kerala. "Such attempts will be resisted strongly by the people of the state," he said. People from all sections, including forward and backward communities, would rally together to resist such moves by Shah and the sangh parivar, he said. Vijayan said the RSS and the BJP were attacking his government because he was implementing the Supreme Court's order on Sabarimala. "It is the responsibility of the government to implement the Supreme Court order. What else we can do in this matter?" he asked. Vijayan alleged that Shah and the sangh parivar were making "conscious efforts to create unrest in Kerala" when his government was following its constitutional responsibility to implement the Supreme Court verdict."We will not let anyone disturb peace in the state," he said. A Supreme Court verdict lifting the age restrictions on entry of women at the Sabarimala temple has led to massive protests by the devotees. Shah had Saturday said that courts should desist from pronouncing verdicts that cannot be implemented. Shah had also warned that BJP workers would not hesitate to pull down the state government if it continues to "suppress" the agitation of Ayyappa devotees. The BJP is apparently seeing the Sabarimala issue as an opportunity to widen its support base in the southern state. The party has so far failed to make a strong presence in the bi-polar polity in the state, dominated by the LDF and the opposition Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF). In 2016 assembly polls, the BJP had scripted history by winning the Nemom seat, and garnered 14.65 per cent votes. (With inputs from PTI)