Vijayan condemns Assam CM's 'point blank' video, calls it incitement against minorities

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said he was “shocked” by a purported video posted on the X handle of the BJP’s Assam unit that he said appeared to incite violence against a minority community, and called for a united resistance against what he described as communal hate.

The now-deleted video purportedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma aiming a rifle and firing a shot at two individuals — one wearing a skull cap and the other sporting a beard — with the caption “point-blank shot”.

In a post on X, Vijayan said the video attributed to the Assam BJP was a “shocking, direct incitement of violence” against the Miya community. He alleged that such content reflected attempts to normalise hatred for electoral gains, calling it an affront to the Constitution.

Vijayan also criticised the BJP’s national leadership, alleging that its silence on the issue amounted to complicity. “Secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this communal hatemongering and protect the pluralist soul of India,” he said.

In a separate post on Facebook in Malayalam, the CPI(M) leader alleged that, with Assembly elections approaching in Assam, a person holding a constitutional position was attempting to spread communalism to mobilise majority votes.

He questioned how someone who, according to him, was calling for violence against minorities could lead a State in a secular country.

Vijayan further alleged that the BJP’s national leadership had failed to rein in the Assam Chief Minister. “The truth is that Himanta Biswa Sarma has openly said what others hesitate to say publicly,” he wrote.

The remarks come amid mounting criticism from Opposition leaders across parties over the video, which was removed after drawing widespread condemnation on social media.

Meanwhile, Sarma said earlier on Monday that he was unaware of the video posted by the Assam BJP unit that triggered the controversy. The BJP has not issued a detailed statement responding to the allegations so far.

The episode has added to a growing political row over the use of social media content by political parties and allegations of communal polarisation ahead of elections.