Amid a huge political row, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hit back at Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitish Rane for his "mini Pakistan" remark on the southern state and described it as "deeply malicious".
Taking to X, Vijayan said, "The derogatory remark by Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane, labelling Kerala as 'mini-Pakistan', is deeply malicious and utterly condemnable. Such rhetoric reflects the hate campaigns orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala, a bastion of secularism & communal harmony. We strongly denounce this vile attack on Kerala, & call upon all democratic & secular forces to unite against Sangh Parivar's hateful propaganda."
Nitish Rane, son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, recently targeted Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said the siblings were elected from Kerala's Wayanad because the state is "mini Pakistan".
Also Read: Maharashtra minister Nitish Rane calls Kerala 'mini Pakistan', clarifies after huge row
"Kerala is mini Pakistan that is why Rahul Gandhi and his sister are elected from there. All terrorists vote for them. This is the truth, you can ask. They have become MPs after taking terrorists with them," Rane had said.
After the issue snowballed, Nitish Rane issued a clarification stating he was drawing a comparison between the situation in Kerala and Pakistan. "The way Hindus are treated in Pakistan... if such situations happen in our very own country, we must take action against that. That is what I was trying to say in my speech," he explained.
He also alleged issues of religious conversion and "love jihad" in Kerala.
Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal demanded a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming Rane's remarks as part of an orchestrated hate campaign.
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