BJP president Amit Shah will arrive in Kannur on Saturday for a day’s visit to Kerala. The visit is being considered significant in the context of the churn over the Sabarimala issue.
Office inauguration
Shah will be the first passenger to land at the new Kannur International Airport, which will be inaugrated on December 9. Shah’s will inaugurate party’s district office in Kannur, and will take time off to visit the house slain BJP worker Remith in Pinarayi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s hometown.
He will later travel to Thiruvananthapuram where he is scheduled to take part in a function at Varkala, being organised by the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, a prominent partner of the NDA in Kerala. He will stay overnight in Thiruvanathapuram and hold consultations with various BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders.
The party president’s visit coincides with the prevailing unrest around the Sabarimala hill shrine following last week’s turmoil as the police sought to enforce a Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages access to the shrine.
Police crackdown
The BJP had strongly protested the rounding up of activists, which on Friday has crossed 2,000. The police action has also earned the wrath of the Kerala High Court which warned the government against ‘playing to the gallery.’
The court has sought explanation from the government over ‘arrests of innocent persons’ as alleged in a petition. The arrests must be made only after confirming the culpability of the person and correctly identifying him.
The state government has been directed to furnish an explanation on Monday, subsequent to which the petition will be taken up for consideration again.
Meanwhile, G Raman Nair, former president of temple administrator Travancore Devaswom Board and a senior Congress leader, has hinted at joining the BJP soon.
He earned the Congress’ ire after inaugurating a BJP-sponsored protest meeting at Pathanamthitta last week. The party has served a notice to explain his conduct that goes against its interests.