Kerala 'mini Pakistan' remark: Vijayan slams Maharashtra minister; says shows 'Sangh Parivar's hate campaigns'

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that BJP leader and Maharashtra Ports and Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane's 'mini-Pakistan' remark on Kerala reflects the 'hate campaigns' orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala.

"Rane does not deserve to remain as a minister after making a hate campaign. He had insulted the Constitution and violated the oath. It is surprising that the BJP leadership is not responding to Rane's deeply malicious and utterly condemnable remark," Vijayan said in a statement.

"We strongly denounce this vile attack on Kerala and call upon all democratic and secular forces to unite against Sangh Parivar’s hateful propaganda.", Vijayan said.

The CPM top leader also said that the BJP and Sangh Parivar were trying to isolate regions where they could make any influence. Hence they unleash such malicious campaigns against Kerala.

Rane said on Monday that Kerala was nothing short of a 'mini-Pakistan' and thus Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got elected from there.

"All the terrorists are the ones voting for them. I am speaking the truth. These people become MPs only with the support of terrorists,” he had said.

The Congress had strongly reacted to it and also criticised the CPM for setting the stage for such a campaign by referring to CPM politburo member A Vijayaraghavan's recent remark that Rahul and Priyana won elections from Wayanad with support of Muslim extremist forces.