Thiruvananthapuram | Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has written to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, protesting the alleged police assault on SFI students during a protest at University of Kerala and accusing the UDF government of adopting positions favourable to the Sangh Parivar.
In his letter, Vijayan said the students were peacefully protesting outside the university over the issue of singing the full version of Vande Mataram when police resorted to a "brutal lathi charge" without provocation.
He alleged that male police personnel assaulted female students and that no women police personnel were present at the spot, calling it a "serious violation of the law".
Vijayan said there had been a consensus since the national movement to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram to protect the country's pluralistic character and constitutional values.
He alleged that the Sangh Parivar was now attempting to break the consensus, which had continued for more than 80 years, by making the singing of the entire Vande Mataram compulsory.
"The Congress-led state government is also adopting the same position," he alleged.
Vijayan accused the Congress of adopting a "fascist" approach towards students in Keralam while opposing what he described as the repression of student protests by the Centre and the New Delhi police at the national level.
He said Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had expressed displeasure over the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the AICC headquarters.
"However, in Keralam, the Congress government is trying to appease the Sangh Parivar," Vijayan alleged.
He further criticised the state government's stand before the court that the University Act could be amended in accordance with UGC regulations.
Vijayan alleged that by taking this position, the state government had accepted the Governor's "complete supremacy" over universities.
He said this was evidence of the state government's surrender to attempts by the Centre and the Sangh Parivar to take control of universities.
Vijayan urged Kharge to intervene immediately and ask the Congress leadership in Keralam to withdraw from its alleged policy of appeasing the Sangh Parivar and from using police force against students.
The protests were held on Tuesday in connection with an incident at Kerala University during National Sports Day celebrations, where the full version of Vande Mataram was sung.
The Students' Federation of India alleged that the programme was conducted in line with an RSS agenda and took out a march to the university headquarters in protest.
The organisation alleged that police personnel used force against the protesters, including women students, during the march.
The UDF government in Keralam had earlier directed its departments to follow the Centre's instruction to sing the full version of Vande Mataram at Independence Day-related programmes. Although, the song was not sung at the main state-level Independence Day function.
The full version was later sung at a Keralam government Onam celebration in Thiruvananthapuram on August 30 in the presence of Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan.
Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan has said the state government would follow the prescribed Central protocol when the president, vice-president or prime minister attends a government function, while reiterating his party's position on the recitation of Vande Mataram.
