Thiruvananthapuram, July 11 (BPNS)
Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan has said that the book launch of RSS ideologue late P. Parameswaran was not an RSS event and instead, it was a book release function in which he was invited by late Janatadal leader and former Minister, M.P Veerendrakumar.
Satheeshan who was rattled over the revelations by the RSS that he had attended the RSS function and had lighted the lamp in front of the photographs of Bharathmata and Guruji Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar who was the second ‘Sarsangachalak’ of the RSS.
The Senior Congress leader did not respond to the media on Sunday when the allegations came up but chose to respond on Monday at the party state headquarters, Indira Bhavan. He said that veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan had released the book at Thiruvananthapuram and he had attended the function at Thrissur. He recalled that ‘ Swami Vivekananda and an enlighted Kerala’ was the book release in which he participated.
Satheeshan said that the Kerala society has looked at Parameswaran beyond his RSS credentials and added that when the RSS ideologue passed away Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan had addressed him as a saint.
He also said that he had never gone behind any RSS or other fundamentalist organizations for getting votes. He added that even if his political carrier comes to an end, he won’t seek the votes of fundamentalists like the RSS.
Kerala opposition leader said that he was an ardent critic of the RSS and that the organization had conducted several protest marches to his home at Paravur. He said that the RSS had openly stated that they would send him to political wilderness by defeating him from Paravur assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, BJP national executive member and former state president, P.K. Krishnadas while addressing media persons at Kozhikode on Monday said that Satheeshan had participated in the function with the full knowledge that it was an RSS function. He said that Satheeshan had lighted the lamp in front of the photographs of Bharathmata and of the second Sarsangachalak of RSS, Guruji Golwalkar.
