By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Kozhikode: The Oomen Chandy government has come in for a scathing attack from the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leadership for its decision to withdraw the case registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia for his alleged hate speech here in 2003.
Based on a report of the state police chief on April 11, the government decided to withdraw the case pertaining to Togadia’s alleged hate speech on July 8, 2003 here. The government submitted its request to this effect before the court on November 22. The court discharged the three accused and “closed” the further proceedings against the other accused that day.
The state police chief’s report was a follow up of a representation by the Hindu Aikya Vedi secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan, one of the co-accused in the case. He did so citing an order of the Marad Special Court on February 28 this year that there must be no further proceedings in the matter as the First Information Report in the case was filed only in 2012.
The principal secretary (Home Ministry) had issued the order to withdraw the case registered against Togadia at Kasaba police station here for making inflammatory speech in connection with Marad riots in 2003.
The opposition leaders, however, opposed the government for having surrendered before the right-wing communal forces. In a statement, leader of opposition VS Achuthanandan said the decision had once again brought to the fore the communal appeasement policy of chief minister Chandy and the Congress party. “Chandy had withdrawn a case against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers who had tried to kill a police constable recently. The decision to withdraw the case against Togadia was in continuation of the same policy. The decision had torn apart the secular façade of Mr Chandy and the Congress,” Achuthanandan said.
He has asked the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president VM Sudheeran to clarify his stand on Chandy’s ‘policy of communal appeasement’.
The state unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), in a statement, also accused the government of surrendering before the Sangh Pariwar and asked it to review its decision.
Meanwhile, IUML – the second largest party in the present ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition – national secretary E T Mohammed Basheer also came down heavily against the withdrawal. Basheer said the decision was “inappropriate and promoting the communal forces.”
Youth League, the youth outfit of IUML has also heavily criticized the withdrawal citing it will hamper the secular values, pursued by the ruling front. Youth League national president PM Sadiqali said the government has failed to gauge the sentiments of the minorities in the state.