Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 30 (IANS) Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday stepped up his attack on the V.D. Satheesan government over alleged security lapses during the visits of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, warning that such incidents could affect Centre-state relations.
Chandrasekhar said the BJP had offered cooperation to the new state government for the welfare and overall development of Kerala from the day Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister.
He added that the Centre had also made it clear during Home Minister Shah’s visit to Kerala last week that it was ready to extend all possible help to the state.
“See what happened in Kollam when Union Minister Amit Shah was in the state and two Kerala Ministers were present,” Chandrasekhar said.
He was referring to the Youth Congress protest during Amit Shah’s visit to Kollam.
The BJP has described the incident as a “serious security lapse”.
Chandrasekhar also pointed to another security-related incident during the Vice-President’s visit to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on September 27.
He said that both incidents were serious and could not be dismissed lightly.
“A state Minister is responsible for this breach,” he added, without naming the Minister.
The BJP would raise the issue with the state government, Chandrasekhar said.
He added that the issue went beyond a political confrontation between the BJP and the state government.
Any lapse in the security of senior constitutional authorities was a serious matter, he said.
Chandrasekhar also sought to link the issue to the Centre-state relationship.
He said the BJP’s offer to cooperate with the state government for Kerala’s development remained unchanged.
But the state government also had a responsibility to ensure proper security arrangements for visiting Constitutional authorities, he added.
The remarks come at a time when the BJP and the Congress-led state government are already engaged in a political confrontation over the Youth Congress protest against Home Minister Amit Shah.
The BJP has alleged that the protesters were able to come close to the route of the Union Home Minister’s convoy because of inadequate security arrangements.
The police, however, have said that the protesters did not obstruct the convoy or come close enough to constitute a security breach.
Chandrasekhar said the BJP would continue to raise the issue and seek accountability for the lapses.
–IANS
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