CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat has claimed that the Madhya Pradesh Police advised Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan not to attend a felicitation programme as RSS and other organisations were opposing it and they were not in a position to provide security to him.
"The chief minister was supposed to attend a felicitation programme by Kerala Samaj today. However, when he was about to leave to attend it, Madhya Pradesh Police told him not to go there as RSS and other organisations were protesting against it," Karat told PTI.
"It is outrageous. How can they refuse security to an elected chief minister. It proves that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is functioning for RSS and by it only," she alleged.
Following the protest, the programme was cancelled and the Kerala Chief Minister went back.
However, Madhya Pradesh DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla denied the allegations and said, "no question arises of not providing security to the Kerala Chief Minister".
"I don't want to comment on what the CPI(M) leader is alleging. It has not happened".
Leaders of some Hindu outfits were protesting before the BSSS college gate where Vijayan was supposed to be felicitated in the evening.
Police later took nearly 20 protestors into custody from the spot.
Bhopal Malyali Community Association Programme Convenor, O D Joseph said the programme was organised without Vijayan's presence whose scheduled visit to the venue was "cancelled due to security reasons".
Vijayan did not attend the programme.
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Meanwhile, DIG of Bhopal Raman Singh Sikarwar clarified that in view of the protest by Hindu outfits, police had requested the Kerala Chief Minister to delay his visit to the venue for sometime for security reasons.
"We have never said that we won't provide security to him. We were ready to take him to the venue but in order to avoid unpleasant situation, we had just asked him to delay the visit," he said.
"However, the Chief Minister decided not to visit the venue and therefore it was cancelled," he added.
