BJP National President Amit Shah will participate in a 'padyatra' in Kerala, which will see him walk past the home of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the latter's hometown in Kannur district on October 5, as a mark of protest against the ruling CPI-M's "political violence" and also against growing jehadi terrorism, a BJP official said in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
V Muraleedharan, coordinator of the state-wide 'yathra' of state BJP president Kummanem Rajasekheran, said the padyatra was conceived in August, after the killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office bearer E Rajesh in Thiruvananthapuram on July 29. "The yathra will also see a campaign against the recent trend of jehadi terrorism promoted by Islamic fundamentalists," he told the media.
"The state-wide yathra would be flagged off by Shah from Payanur in Kannur district on October 3. He will walk for three days, and on October 5, he will walk past the home of Vijayan at Pinarayi. That evening he will address a public meeting at Tellichery. He will then return on the concluding day of the yathra on October 17 and participate in a public meeting to be held here," said Muraleedharan.
"The maximum attack on our cadres has taken place in Kannur district. The venue for flagging off the yathra is Payanur, in memory of V Ramakrishnan who became the first victim of ours in 1969. In the case Vijayan was an accused. Apart from the fight against political violence of the CPI (M), this yathra is also to highlight the spurt in jehadi terrorism as we have seen that people from Kerala are also part of those who joined the Islamic State group," added Muraleedharan.
He said various Union Ministers and top level national party leaders will walk with the yathra at various locations, and include Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her cabinet colleagues Smriti Irani, Ananathakumar and the lone Keralite in the cabinet KJ Alphons.
The BJP has just one member in the 140-seat Kerala Assembly in veteran former Union Minister O Rajagopal.