Demonetisation is biggest attack on poor: CM Pinarayi

Bhopal: Terming demonetisation as the biggest attack on poor, Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan said it is "dangerous than emergency" and will increase the divide between rich and poor.

"I have never seen such a big attack on poor as the one which took place recently in the form of demonetisation.

It is being termed as an attack on black money, but it is attack against the poor. It is dangerous than emergency," Kerala CM said at 11th conference of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).

Vijayan said people should not suffer this silently.

"We have an opportunity to step up our struggle against capitalism," he said.

Taking BJP government in Madhya Pradesh to task on the issue of alleged encounter of eight SIMI activists on the outskirts of Bhopal, Vijayan alleged, "BJP governed states are notorious for staging fake encounters. Recently eight Muslim youth who were in jail and not yet convicted were killed in a cold blooded manner."

"It is surprising to note that against the capacity of 2,650, the jail has 3,400 inmates and none among them noticed eight undertrials escaping. How they scaled 32 feet high wall with the help of sheets and all these questions remained unanswered till date," he said.

"The audio stating game is over, all eight are dead and the Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan's statement that how long they will stay in the jail as undertrials is an indication that it was a planned and well executed fake encounter," Vijayan alleged. He added that it is something common in BJP ruled states like Gujarat where Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) was earlier Chief Minister.

"We have heard of fake encounters of Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin in Gujarat after the riots. It is a violation of human rights and it can't be termed as nationalism," he added.

"Such atrocities under BJP rule will increase, but it will also enhance people's anger against them which they will have to face in the days to come," Vijayan said.

The Kerala Chief Minister criticised MP government for alleged Vyapam scam (mutli-admission cum recruitment scam) and claimed that powerful persons were behind it and both BJP and RSS are making efforts to suppress it totally.

The conference was also addressed by Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika, former MP Subhashini Ali and AIDWA general secretary, Jagmati Sanghwan.