'Muslim extremists fueling allegations'; says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

NEW DELHI: In an interview granted to a national daily, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the UDF and Muslim extremists are attacking the government to mislead the minorities and create division in the society.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan:

The allegation that ADGP Ajith Kumar met with the RSS chief was aimed at political gain. Police interventions related to smuggling gold and hawala money also fueled the allegations. These forces are trying to misrepresent that the government is working against Muslims. Left and CPM have always opposed RSS and Hindutva forces.

About INDIA alliance,

The CPM will remain on the 'INDIA' front as it is the need of the hour for the secular democratic forces to coalesce. But the general secretary cannot be chosen according to the will of other parties. Late Sitaram Yechury had good relations with opposition parties including the Congress, but you can't demand the same from all other leaders. The person protecting the interests of the party will be elected as the General Secretary as per the procedure.

On BJP's Thrissur win,

BJP scripted a historic win in Thrissur, courtesy Congress. Where did the traditional congress vote go? The answer solves the whole case of ambiguity in Thrissur.

Malappuram...

Rs 123 crore hawala money and 150 kg of gold have been seized by police from Malappuram district in five years. The current spate of allegations against me and the party also comes from this. In recent years, minorities have jumped ship from UDF to LDF. With intentions of creating a rift within sections, UDF is trying to woo back minority voters. They are spreading ambiguity and fear.

Aged 75, will Pinarayi Vijayan continue to be the face of LDF in the 2026 elections?

The party will decide on that. It should be a collective decision. All through my career, I have worked in broad consensus with the party and still abide by that.