A flex board placed in front of the Valanchery Maha Vishnu Temple in Malappuram, Kerala describing CM Pinarayi Vijayan as ‘God of Kerala’ has stirred up a hornet’s nest of angry opposition and criticism for the communist government in the state.
According to reports, the larger than life flex hoarding, with a huge portrait of the chief minister, placed atop the board with the name of the Vishnu temple read: “You asked who is God. The people said the one who provides food.”
‘All prominent temples have turned red’: temple authorities fears disruption of law and order
However, this was not the only poster that was placed in and around the temple. A second flex board went on to describe the Communist government in the state as ‘God’. It asked what further proof was needed in elections that the gods were communists.
Yet another hoarding with photographs of Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet ministers said that the places where prominent temples were located had “turned Red” this election.
These posters stirred up a major controversy. Authorities at the Pachiri Maha Vishnu temple confirmed that the board came up during the swearing-in of the second LDF government in May. The local CPM leaders, meanwhile, tried to wash off their hands by refuting the claims. They denied having any role in the incident.
Talking to TOI, the president of the Pachiri Vishnu temple committee Raveendran M expressed concern over the installation of flex boards, especially the second some, which, he opined, may lead to disruption of law and order.
“Some people raised a protest against the second board which mentioned electoral outcomes in temple towns and said that they will burn down the board. As we were concerned that it could lead to law and order issues, we approached the Valancherry police and the SI asked them to remove the second board. Though it was removed soon, the CM’s board remained there until last week. After it was widely shared on social media it was shifted to a spot 20 metres away”, said Raveendran M.
Kerala government criticised for the handling of Covid pandemic
Over the last few months, the communist government in Kerala led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan has received severe criticism over its incompetence to handle the pandemic. OpIndia reported how, despite raging infections in Kerala and the state government’s inability to manage the pandemic, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government had given in to the pressure of the Muslim community in the society and had lifted lockdown restrictions for three days to celebrate Bakrid or Eid-ul-Adha from July 18 to July 21. The Kerala government had announced relaxations for the Bakrid festival in a press conference organised on July 17.
Kerala recorded almost 17,000 new Covid-19 cases taking the tally to a two-month high on the day lockdown was relaxed. This raised fears that the Kerala state government’s biased decision, may turn Eid-ul-Adha/Bakri Eid celebrations into Covid-19 super-spreader events across the country.
