Thrissur Pooram: RSS warns legal action against 'defamatory' remarks in Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Kerala has warned of legal action against the alleged "defamatory" remarks made against the outfit inside the state Assembly by the ruling and opposition members.

The right wing outfit said it was "condemnable" that those holding responsible positions are making baseless allegations inside and outside the House that the RSS was behind the disruption of Thrissur Pooram this year.

In a statement, senior RSS leader N Easwaran, Prantha Karyavahak (north Kerala), asked on what basis they were raising such "wrong" things.

The Sangh leaders would soon meet Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Speaker A N Shamseer over the matter, he said.

Those holding responsible positions, including the minister, the MLA and the opposition leader are unnecessarily using the name of the Sangh in their blame game for their political gains, the RSS leader alleged.

"This cannot be allowed. The RSS has no time or interest to intervene in such controversies," he said.

Alleging that the attempt to drag the name of the RSS into political controversies was "ill-motivated", Easwaran also said legal action would be initiated against such attempts.

He also charged that the allegations were part of continuing attempts to deliberately create tensions and controversies in Kerala's iconic festivities like the Thrissur Pooram and the Sabarimala pilgrimage.

The disruption of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival ignited a heated debate in the Kerala Assembly on Wednesday, as the opposition UDF alleged it occurred with the knowledge of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while the ruling LDF dismissed calls for a judicial probe and said a comprehensive investigation is underway.

The Congress-led UDF opposition has been alleging for some time that the festival was disrupted with active knowledge of Vijayan as per his secret understanding with the RSS leaders.

It is said that there were alleged police interventions in the Thrissur Pooram rituals and the subsequent controversies had taken the sheen off the annual spectacle held in April this year.

For the first time in the history of the festival, the display of fireworks, one of the major attractions of the event, which was scheduled in the early hours, was held in broad daylight the next day, which turned out to be a disappointment for the festival buffs.