Bid to block his car in Kerala conspiracy by vested interests,

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday termed as a "conspiracy by vested interests" the attempt by pro-CP (M) activists to block his car in Kerala and said such an incident should not lower the dignity of the state, known as the "God's Own Country".

Yediyurappa, currently on a personal visit to temples and religious places in the neighbouring state, also said it was wrong to blame all Keralites for the incidents.

BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje termed it an act of "Communist goons" and lashed out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not providing adequate security to Yediyurappa, and turning the state into a "state of goons".

 

Yediyurappa was shown black flags by some activists of Student Federation of India and Democratic Youth Federation of India who also attempted to block his car in Kannur district on Tuesday.

Earlier, the pro-Congress Kerala Students Union (KSU) and Youth Congress workers also waved black flags at the convoy of Yediyurappa, who also encountered a similar protest on Monday in Thiruvananthapuram by the YC workers over the detention of Kerala-based journalists in Mangaluru last week.

Kerala Police said they removed the activists and around 20 had been taken into custody.

"The incident during visit to Kerala temple is a conspiracy by vested interests. I'm someone who has immense devotion for God from the beginning. This is my personal visit. Blaming all Keralites for the heinous act of a few is wrong. Let such an incident in the god's own country not lower the dignity of Kerala," Yediyurappa tweeted.

However, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje termed it an act of "communist goons" and lashed out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not providing adequate security to Yediyurappa, and turning it into a "state of goons".

"CM @BSYBJP's convoy was attacked by the Communist goons in Kannur today. Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi has made it a state of goons, he failed again to provide adequate security to @CMofKarnataka. This shows TOLERANCE level of preachers of the tolerance," Karqandlaje tweeted along with a video of the incident.

The activists of the SFI and DYFI waved black flags, raised slogans and tried to stop the car of Yediyurappa at Pazhayangadi near Kannur, but were chased away by the police.

Police had on Monday taken into custody at least 20 activists of the Youth Congress, for allegedly attempting to show black flags to the Karnataka Chief minister in Thiruvananthapuram protesting the "illegal" detention of Kerala journalists in Mangaluru.

The journalists, covering the death of two people in police firing during the protests over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act on Decemer 19, were later let off.

The issue had triggered protests by journalists in Kerala and Vijayan had taken up the matter with Yediyurappa, who then said police had questioned some people in the backdrop of the violence in Mangaluru and on coming to know they were reporters, escorted them till the Kerala border.