Mangaluru: After Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited Mangaluru and took part in the Communal Harmony campaign successfully, despite warnings from right wing activists against his visit, Vijayan has, in a letter thanked his Karnataka counterpart for the security measures undertaken on the backdrop of his visit.
Vijayan was in the city on February 25 and right wing elements had called for a bundh opposing his visit citing that a man who could not curb political killings in his own state is unfit to give out lessons on harmony.
Mangaluru city and district police had made elaborate security arrangements by deploying over 4,000 policemen to ensure that the harmony rally of CPM that Vijayan addressed went off peacefully without any untoward incident.
It may be recalled that Vijayan had thanked CM Siddaramaiah even during the rally and a letter followed this gesture.
“I would like to formally thank you for the stance taken by your administration in providing necessary security and logistics support to make my visit and the public events successful and memorable. The RSS and allied organisations had kicked up a controversy by issuing a public statement that Kerala CM will not be allowed to attend the public function in Mangaluru. Such a shocking stand taken by these organisations reveals their underlining fascist tenor and is totally against the spirit of democracy. Though individually me and my party had defied such threats and taken on such challenges head-on, the present circumstances where I am occupying a constitutionally defined office has posed some limitations in responding to this challenge in the same manner,” Vijayan wrote.
