A day after a national daily published his controversial interview, Kerala Chief Minister CM Vijayan said, “CPI (M) has always stridently opposed the RSS and other Hindutva forces in Kerala.”

Vijayan said In Kozhikode on Tuesday that the contentious Malappuram remark was not made by him. His words were misinterpreted and taken out of context. The daily (The Hindu) has admitted that there was a mistake on their part in publishing a remark that was not part of the original interview.

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“The newspaper conducted an interview with me when I was in Delhi. They published a remark that I didn’t say in the interview. A letter was sent to them from my office asking for an explanation. It is understood that they have admitted that the contentious Malappuram remark was not there in the original interview,” the CM said.

He also stated that the newspaper informed his office that there was a lapse on their in this regard.

Earlier on Tuesday, responding to the backlash over the CM’s remarks on Malappuram, the Chief Minister’s office clarified that his words were misinterpreted and taken out of context. “The CM never specified any particular location or used the terms “anti-state” or “anti-national activities” during the interview”, the CM’s office said.

The Chief Minister’s Press Secretary also wrote a letter to the daily, stating that the remark was misinterpreted and didn’t reflect the stance of Vijayan or the government. The letter clarified that the statement aimed to convey that smuggled gold and money are used for terrorist activities, without mentioning any specific place or region.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been facing criticisms from various corners over his alleged remarks that money coming to Malappuram through gold smuggling and hawala is intended for anti-national activities. Various organisations held that the Chief Minister had insulted the Malappuram district.

Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan came out against the remark, calling it an attempt to appease the Sangh Parivar in Delhi and cover up the embarrassment of the chief minister.

Satheesan demanded a clarification on the basis of the statement, pointing out that it was never mentioned in the Assembly or elsewhere. He asked why Vijayan concealed this information for so long and why it was only revealed in an interview with a national media outlet in Delhi and said this is not a matter to be confined to an interview with an English newspaper.

He emphasized that if the statement is true, it’s a serious matter and the Chief Minister should explain the actions taken by the state government and police against those involved. He highlighted that as Leader of the Opposition, he had previously raised concerns about gold smuggling and tax evasion in the Assembly

Protests, including from the Kanthapuram faction of the Sunni organization which is leaning towards the Left, have erupted. Organisations such as the Muslim League, Kerala Muslim Jamaat, Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS), and Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) have also come out against the statement of the Chief Minister.