Kerala violence: Shah to flag off BJP padyatra from October 3

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) Condemning political killings in Kerala and West Bengal and expressing concern over the deaths of its workers in the two states, the BJP on Monday said its Kerala unit will hold a protest ‘padyatra’ in the southern state.

The march to protest against political violence in Kerala would be held from October 3 to October 17, Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitin Gadkari said.

BJP President Amit Shah will flag off the fortnight-long ‘padyatra’ in which several Union Ministers and senior BJP functionaries will participate, he said.

The padyatra was conceived in August, soon after the killing of Rashriya Swayamsevak Sangh office-bearer E. Rajesh on July 29 in Thiruavanthapuram.

The BJP has been accusing the Left Front government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala of escalating political violence in the state which it claimed was aimed at crushing the BJP and the RSS.

The BJP has just one member in the 140-seat Kerala assembly.

The BJP has said that the recurring attacks on BJP and RSS activists were a desperate attempt by the Left to finish off its political opponents, especially as the BJP influence was growing in the southern state that has been a traditional Left bastion.