Over the last 24 hours, Chief Minister @vdsatheesan has made two statements that deserve a clear response. First, while speaking about communal harmony in the context of the Kashi restaurant in Fort Kochi, named after a Hindu holy city, which serves beef and displays Muhammad Ali Jinnah, I want to remind the Chief Minister that communal harmony and respect for religious sentiments must work both ways. While every establishment has the right to serve food of its choice, freedom of expression under Article 19 must be understood alongside its constitutional limitations under Article 19(2). What would happen if a restaurant were named after a Muslim holy city and served pork? I am not advocating such a situation, but asking whether the political establishment would respond with the same restraint. Secularism cannot be selective or dictated by political convenience. The faith and sentiments of every Malayali, whether Hindu, Muslim or Christian, deserve equal respect. Second, the Chief Minister’s remarks in Delhi on the growth of the Indian Union Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami raise a serious question about Kerala’s future. As our state approaches its 70th anniversary on November 1, after decades of Congress and CPM rule, are Malayalis really left with only two choices a religion-based political party or extremism? I categorically reject this false choice. Malayalis deserve better than decades of Congress–CPM politics and the divisions they have perpetuated. There is a third way the Narendra Modi way: a path of development, good governance, equal opportunity and dignity for every Malayali, irrespective of religion or community. BJP Keralam will continue to champion this alternative. Keralam does not have to choose between appeasement and extremism. -Shri @RajeevRC_X State President, BJP Keralam #APAKADAMPolitics