What happened in Bhopal was RSS culture: Kerala CM

Kochi, Dec 11 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday blamed "RSS culture" for the protests which prevented him from attending a function in Bhopal.

Arriving from Madhya Pradesh, Vijayan said the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP, was behind the protests on Saturday.

"Generally when a Chief Minister visits another state, there are protocols. But since the RSS was behind the protests, the police remained silent. It reflects the culture of RSS," he said.

Vijayan was prevented from attending a function in Bhopal by a group of RSS and Bajrang Dal activists.

The Madhya Pradesh Police told Vijayan to return before he could even reach the venue of a meeting organised by a few Kerala-based organisations.

"This has never ever happened in Kerala. Recently when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kannur, a place often referred by all as a party village (CPI-M bastion), there was no issue at all. 

"You should not forget that his visit came at a time when there was high tension in Kannur. This is the difference in the mindset and culture."

After hearing about the episode, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan telephoned Vijayan and expressed regrets. The police chief too met and apologized for what happened.