A day after the LDF government in Kerala directed the district police chiefs to expedite the process of withdrawing bailable cases against those who protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state, BJP state unit president K Surendran has questioned the unwillingness of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to withdraw Sabarimala agitation cases
Surendran said the LDF government’s decision to withdraw the cases registered against CAA protestors while not dropping the cases registered against the Ayyappa devotees during the Sabarimala agitations, shows the LDF government’s double-standard.
He said the Chief Minister, who is in charge of the Home Department, had earlier stated that there is infiltration of terrorists in the CAA protests. Yet on what basis the cases are being withdrawn without any verification, he asked.
The CAA agitation was against granting of citizenship to minorities, who faced religious discrimination in neighbouring countries. It created conflicts in many parts of the country and claimed many lives. But the Sabarimala agitation was a peaceful Namajapa protest by the believers to protect their faith.
The police even registered cases against thousands of mothers for chanting Naamajapa. Many people were caught in false cases and imprisoned. While the cases taken against the Ayyappa believers are still continuing, the cases against the citizenship agitators are written off, he said.
He asked as to why the Congress, which always says that the party is with Ayyappa devotees, not asking to withdraw the cases registered against the Ayyappa devotees along with withdrawing cases registerd against the CAA protesters.