AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal
Credit: DH Photo/S K Dinesh
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP leader and Maharashtra Ports and Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane's 'mini-Pakistan' remark on Kerala has triggered strong reaction from Congress leaders in the state.
Apart from demanding Rane's resignation, Congress leaders alleged that the state CPM leadership had set the stage for the BJP to unleash the campaign.
AICC general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Kerala K C Venugopal asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to clarify whether they endorse Rane's remark. Rane should be disqualified for the communally sensitive remark that could trigger hatred, he demanded.
"The CPM in Kerala has set the stage for such a campaign by the BJP. Rane was following CPM politburo member A Vijayaraghavan's recent remarks that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi won from Wayanad with support of Muslim extremist outfits," said Venugopal.
Leader of opposition in Kerala and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan demanded Rane's resignation. The BJP leader was taking forward a campaign kicked off by the CPM leadership for appeasing the Sangh Parivar, said Satheesan.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran and Congress working committee member Ramesh Chennithala also strongly flayed Rane's remark.