Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday lavished praise on his party colleagues including politburo member Brinda Karat for their firm stand taken against the demolition conducted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) in Jahangirpuri as part of its anti-encroachment drive.
The Marxist Party has always stood firm and shown the way in the fight for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised, he said.
"When it comes to fighting for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised, CPM has always stood firm and shown the way. Salute to Com. Brinda Karat and other comrades who fought the machinations of the majoritarian communal forces at Jahangirpuri in Delhi!" Pinarayi tweeted.
Bulldozers demolished several structures in Jahangirpuri on Wednesday amid a heavy paramilitary and police presence that was stopped within hours following a Supreme Court order.
The Left parties including CPM strongly condemned the demolition drive and hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the use of bulldozers in the area, despite a Supreme Court order to the contrary.
Brinda Karat visited the demolition site with a physical copy of the Supreme Court order, standing in front of a bulldozer blocking its way and urged the civic staff to stop the demolition instantly on Wednesday.
Karat, who received a lot of accolades on social media for trying to physically stop the bulldozer, also met the Delhi Police officials present at the site.
Jahangirpuri had witnessed communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims on Saturday.
On Thursday, Jahangirpuri's C-Block, the epicentre of Saturday's violence, witnessed heavy security deployment and barricading as it remained out of bounds for the media, and residents stayed indoors.
The air was tense in the area as even the usually bustling Kushal Chowk was calm and shops were shut.
The inward and outward movement at the C-Block was regulated by the security personnel who have put in place heavy barricading there.
The police also carried out surveillance using drones.
"The media has been barred to enter C-Block residential area because we have been ordered to do so. We are doing this to maintain law and order situation here," a senior police officer deployed in Jahangirpuri said.
(With inputs from PTI)
