On 31st October (Tuesday), Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar came down heavily on I.N.D.I. alliance partners Congress and CPI(M). Taking to X, he took a dig at Congress stalwart Rahul Gandhi and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for coming together and ‘jointly’ filing a case against him. He asserted that with such a coercive step, they are trying to threaten him for exposing their appeasement of Hamas.
The Minister insinuated that both parties have united for appeasement purposes only, as at the state level both of them have been taking antithetical positions except on a few such issues. He also lambasted both political leaders calling them the biggest appeasers in Indian politics. He emphasised that they had been appeasing “poisonous, radical and violent” organisations like SDPI, PFI, and Hamas who have threatened the security of the Indian state.
Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar tweeted, “So the two INDI alliance partners Rahul Gandhi and Pinarayi Vijayan have jointly filed a “case” against me. Two of the biggest appeasers in Indian politics who shamelessly appease poisonous radical violent organisations like SDPI, PFI, and Hamas, whose politics have caused radicalisation over decades from J&K to Punjab to Kerala and caused many innocent lives and security forces lives to be lost – trying to threaten me with a case for exposing their appeasement of Hamas.”
So the two INDI alliance partners @RahulGandhi and @PinarayiVijayan have jointly filed a "case" against me
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) October 31, 2023
Two of biggest appeasers in Indian politics who shamelessly appease poisonous radical violent organizations like SDPI, PFI and Hamas, whose politics have caused… pic.twitter.com/rTOLCULeDT
In his post on X, the Minister also included a media report stating that a case has been filed against him, a complaint copy filed by the Congress’ Kerala unit, and an FIR copy.
Strikingly, in the late hours of 30th October, Congress’ state unit in Kerala lodged a complaint with the State Police Chief against Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP National Secretary Anil K Antony, and a few others for allegedly making hate comments aimed at flaring up communal enmity in the state. The complaint was given by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) Digital Media Cell Convener Sarin P.
The terror sympathising Congress party @INCKerala in Kerala has filed complaints against me and Sri. @Rajeev_GoI for bringing to light the rising fundamentalism in the state, and the bonhomie and the competition between the INDI alliance members @INCKerala @cpimspeak and… https://t.co/DK0UIZbBaY
— Anil K Antony (@anilkantony) October 31, 2023
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had threatened to file a case against Rajeev Chandrasekhar
In the wake of the Ernakulam blast on 29th October, a war of words erupted between Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. It started when Chandrasekhar criticised Kerala CM for not acting tough on calls for Jihad by Hamas terrorists and the mindset of killing which resulted in the bomb blasts.
Following the incident, he posted on X, “Dirty shameless appeasement politics by a discredited CM (and HM) Pinarayi Vijayan besieged by corruption charges. Sitting in Delhi and protesting against Israel, when in Kerala open calls by Terrorist Hamas for Jihad is causing attacks and bomb blasts on innocent Christians.”
Dirty shameless appeasement politics by a discredited CM (and HM) @pinarayivijayan besieged by corruption charges
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) October 29, 2023
Sitting in Delhi and protesting against Israel , when in Kerala open calls by Terrorist Hamas for Jihad is causing attacks and bomb blasts on innocent christians https://t.co/MQH0ycZsqu
A day later, on 30th October, a verbal duel ensued between the CM and Chandrasekhar. Threatening to take a coercive step and terming the MoS ‘extremely venomous’, Kerala CM said that if anyone makes statements that are in violation of the law, irrespective of whether they are central or state ministers, cases would be registered against them which seemingly prompted Police to file a case against the Minister.
#WATCH | Kochi: On Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says, "To accuse me of being communal, or to accuse our party of doing anything other than looking after the best interest of every Indian, is to be a liar. He (Pinarayi Vijayan) is a… pic.twitter.com/wkN2A8xRIK
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2023
There is nothing more ironic or desperate than a CM cum HM who has allowed the #Hamas poison and hate into Kerala and now is trying to pretend that he is "protecting Kerala Identity"
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) October 30, 2023
When cornered he first uses his usual tired exit route – They are "communal" and whn that… https://t.co/7xLnUFfg7U
However, according to the Kerala police, it registered the FIR on its own in connection with the minister’s recent statements on social media. The said statement pertains to the Kochi blasts and a Hamas leader’s virtual address at an event organised by an Islamist group in the Malappuram district of the state.
Speaking to PTI, a senior officer of Kochi city police said that an FIR under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act has been registered against the Union Minister.
