Antony downplays trishul

Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony said today that there are ‘‘other issues which are more important than trishul diksha in the sta...

Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony said today that there are ‘‘other issues which are more important than trishul diksha in the state’’.

Speaking to The Indian Express as a Chief Minister who took no action against the distribution of trishuls in the state, Antony said: ‘‘In Kerala, we solve every problem in a different manner. In this case, we want to solve it by dialogue. Banning trishuls is not the issue.’’

BJP doesn’t mind

New Delhi: BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu showered praise on Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony, calling him a ‘‘decent man’’, while criticising Congress’s ‘‘Hindutva tilt’’ in the same breath.

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Speaking to The Indian Express yesterday, Naidu said, ‘‘A.K. Antony is a decent man. He never hides the truth.’’ The compliment comes in the wake of Antony allegedly going soft on trishul distribution and the state government’s taking over of the Marad mosque. It is said the Kerala government did so to prevent riots and maintain communal harmony.

While other Congress-ruled states, including Rajasthan, have banned the entry of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, Antony has avoided such a decision.
On the PM’s decision on Monday to allow the distribution of forest land among landless tribals, the BJP chief said it is only during BJP tenure that such bold steps are taken.

On the Marad incident, Naidu said the BJP is all for a CBI inquiry into the matter. ‘‘Since outside forces are suspected to be behind the incident, a judicial inquiry alone will not help,’’ Naidu said. Regarding the Muthanga killings, Naidu said Kerala police was soft on terrorists and hard on tribals.
He alleged the Congress tilt towards Hindutva is an election stunt, whereas for the BJP, it is a ‘‘way of living’’ and not a poll issue.

‘‘Congress has no objection to distribution of swords by the Samajwadi Party and the distribution of lathis by the RJD. But it is opposed to distribution of trishul, which is a religious symbol of the Hindus,’’ said Naidu.

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On the BJP agenda for the upcoming polls, he said the BJP will concentrate only on developmental issues and expose the failures of Congress governments. Anita Saluja

Another Congress Chief Minister, Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, had banned trishuls and had imprisoned VHP leader Pravin Togadia. Antony said Hindutva cannot be equated with the BJP alone. ‘‘They are not the sole authority of Hindu religion,’’ he remarked. He added that Hindu religion is part of the Indian ethos.

‘‘Different states have different problems. The solution should be according to the temperament of the state in question,’’ Antony said.

‘‘We are not going to follow a path of action that is going to create more problems,’’ he added. ‘‘Besides there are many more important issues to be addressed,’’ he said.

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Antony met Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterday and explained his stand. He said that he will have a meeting at length with her, later this month. He is reported to have told Sonia that the situation in Kerala is different from other states as he did not want to unnecessarily highlight the issue.

Antony has also recently emerged from serious dissidence in Kerala. It was primarily on his advice the party high command took a generous view of the matter and refrained from taking action against rebels.

‘‘Every leader needs someone who can question him. But dissent should not degenerate into chaos,’’ he said.

Referring to agitations by trade unions and political parties, Antony says: ‘‘We should change our mindset, we are not living in colonial times. There can be reasonable protests but when it crosses a limit the leaders should correct their followers.’’

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On the violence in Marad beach recently, he said: ‘‘The responsibility of politicians is not just to lay the wreaths but also to take action. All these incidents are being attributed as law and order problems, when it is more than that. It is, in fact, a social problem.’’

The Kerala Government has sought coastal police for maintaining law and order on the beaches. ‘‘Home Minister L.K. Advani has promised that he would look into the proposal,’’ he said.