Kerala govt sleeping over 'Love Jihad': Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has alleged that the Left Front government in Kerala is trying to create a communal divide.

Inaugurating a statewide march by BJP's Kerala president K Surendran from Kasargod on Sunday, Yogi said that while his government took stern measures to curb 'love jihad' by bringing in a law, the Left Front government is not taking effective steps to curb it.

He said that the Communist government is not bothered about the nation's larger interests and is not taking actions to curb extremist activities. Pitching the BJP as a suitable party for Kerala, he alleged that both the CPM and Congress-led front that ruled Kerala successively over these years had indulged in corruption.

Ahead of reaching Kasargod, Adityanath had made a tweet in Malayalam that he was happy to visit again the land of Shankaracharya and Sree Narayana Guru.

The statewide march by Surendran, titled 'Vijay Yathra', is in connection with the upcoming Assembly elections. It would witness many national leaders of BJP visiting the state in the coming weeks.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public meeting for the culmination of the march in Thiruvananthapuram on March 7.

BJP, which has only one MLA in Kerala now, is now pinning hopes in 42 of the 140 seats in Kerala. Meanwhile, Popular Front of India (PFI) activists staged a protest against Yogi's visit.

Adityanath also criticised the Kerala government over the increasing Covid-19 positive cases and claimed that his state had effectively tackled the pandemic. The 15-day-Vijay Yatra, covering all major constituencies in 14 districts, is seen as the official launch of the saffron party's poll campaign.

Various union ministers and the saffron party's popular leaders and star campaigners at the national level are expected to join the yatra in various days. Union Minister Amit Shah is expected to inaugurate the finale of the yatra at the state capital on March 7, party sources said.

(WIth inputs from PTI)