Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has demanded that Narendra Modi “rectify” his claim in Parliament that extremist groups had infiltrated the anti-CAA protests in the southern state, accusing the Prime Minister of “unbefitting” conduct.

“It is unbefitting for a Prime Minister to be a part of those who are disappointed with the fact that Kerala is leading the struggle against the communalism of both RSS and SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India),” Vijayan, a CPM leader, said in a statement, which has also been uploaded on social media.

Later, Vijayan said in response to a question from The Telegraph that the SDPI, a Right-wing Muslim organisation frequently accused of creating communal tension and fomenting polarisation, and the RSS were “playing in tandem”.

“The people of Kerala are wise enough to understand their heinous intensions. As the chief minister, I think it is my responsibility to caution the people against such attempts,” Vijayan said in his written response to the newspaper.

In his reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi had told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Kerala chief minister had said extremist groups were involved in the anti-citizenship law protests in the state. The Prime Minister had said that on one hand Vijayan was grappling with anarchy in Kerala, and on the other he was supporting such acts in Delhi and other parts of the country.

The Prime Minister was leveraging on a statement Vijayan had made in the Kerala Assembly earlier this week urging caution to prevent extremist groups like the SDPI from infiltrating the anti-CAA protests.

The SDPI is believed to be desperate to infiltrate the anti-CAA protests with the intention of triggering violence, which would end up feeding into the RSS-BJP narrative.

In his “rejoinder” to Modi’s comments, Vijayan said: “My remarks on extremist organisations like the SDPI were made in good faith. Kerala is guided by the belief that secularism is the only means for defeating the communal agenda of the RSS. And we will resist anyone who attempts to pollute this struggle with the poison of communalism. The Prime Minister must rectify his statement that maligns the protests in Kerala.”

Vijayan reminded Modi that Kerala would never give space to any group trying to communally polarise people.

“Kerala is not willing to concede ground to those who want to make this an opportunity for communal polarisation. People were warned of such infiltrators; proper caution was also exercised,” the chief minister said, citing efforts to prevent communal elements from joining the anti-CAA protests.

“The discriminatory CAA, which is a plan forged in the kiln of the RSS for achieving communal goals, must be resisted with the bulwark of secularism,” Vijayan underlined. “In this, Kerala is a model for the whole country. Our secular state has the strength to fend off any sort of infiltrators in this movement as well.”

The chief minister said his state did not need “external tutelage” to identify extremist elements. “And for such a society, they don’t need an external tutelage to separate the genuine protest from those opportunists who are trying to sow communal polarisation,” Vijayan said.

He highlighted the protests taking place in Kerala against the CAA, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.

“The protests that are happening against the unconstitutional and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act have seen the coming together of people from all walks of life. Religious leaders, artists, writers, social workers, community leaders and politicians have joined it. People have transcended religious and caste lines to form a common front,” Vijayan said.

He pointed out how Kerala had been at the forefront of the struggle against the CAA, which “flagrantly tramples on constitutional values”.

“The unity that we see in these struggles is a hallmark of the secularism of Kerala. It is understandable that some people might want to malign and misconstrue this movement,” Vijayan said. “Kerala will respond in unison to them. Kerala’s secular ethos is one that is opposed to all forms of communalism,” he added.

Answering a query from this newspaper on whether the SDPI has infiltrated the anti-CAA protests, Vijayan said in a written response: “We have always maintained that the SDPI and the RSS are playing in tandem….”

“If you are familiar with Kerala you would have understood that there are numerous agitations and protests going on in (every) nook and corner of the state. However, certain forces like the SDPI had been trying to create communal wedges. A few cases have been reported but the police were stern in putting them down.”

Vijayan said he was “surprised to see the Prime Minister referring to me and making a statement in the Upper House of Parliament which was absolutely misleading”.

“Kerala has set an example for the nation and has been protesting peacefully,” the chief minister added.

“No one has been able to change this narrative. However, I was cautioning against moves by organisations like the SDPI in creating communal tensions. The protest has no religious or political basis as it is solely to protect the secular democratic Constitution of the country,” Vijayan said.

He took on the RSS for driving its own communal agenda by organising pro-CAA meetings in Kerala.

“Fearing complete isolation, the RSS has been organising meetings and marches intended to take on the anti-CAA protest,” he said.

“As you know, the RSS has a history of using every opportunity to drive in their communal agenda. Here also they are trying their level best. But the state of Kerala is much above their parochial agendas,” Vijayan said.

The chief minister slammed the Centre for not responding to the people’s voice. “Any government at the Centre would have understood the gravity of the matter as state after state came out against the CAA, NRC, and the NPR.”

“It is unfortunate that they haven’t triggered any engagements. This shows how undemocratic and majoratarian they are. We would certainly continue with our protests and agitations because they are fundamental to the survival of the nation itself,” Vijayan said.