Rajeev Chandrasekhar challenged VD Satheesan's response to the Kashi Art Cafe row. The dispute has broadened into a debate over communal harmony and political alliances.
Chandrasekhar said that while he agreed with Satheesan’s call for communal harmony, respect for religious sentiments must work both ways.
BJP Keralam president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has accused Chief Minister VD Satheesan of practising “selective secularism” over a controversy surrounding a cafe in Kochi named after the Hindu holy city of Kashi, questioning whether the same standards of religious sensitivity would apply if a restaurant named after a Muslim holy city served pork.
Chandrasekhar said that while he agreed with Satheesan’s call for communal harmony, respect for religious sentiments must work both ways. He also criticised the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, over their political positions on the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Jamaat-e-Islami, arguing that Malayalis deserved alternatives to what he described as decades of “divide-and-rule politics”.
The BJP leader’s remarks came in response to Satheesan’s defence of communal harmony in Keralam after a video by a vlogger from outside the state about Kashi Art Cafe in Fort Kochi triggered a controversy. Police have registered a case against the vlogger, Amrit Singh Darren, over alleged communal remarks in an Instagram video about the cafe.
RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR QUESTIONS DOUBLE STANDARDS ON RELIGION
Referring to Satheesan’s comments on communal harmony, Chandrasekhar said the Chief Minister was right in principle but wrong in how he applied the idea.
“The first point he has mentioned is that there has to be communal harmony in Keralam in the context of a restaurant in Kochi called Kashi, named after a holy Hindu city. That restaurant serves beef, which it is certainly within its rights to do so and also showcases a Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” Chandrasekhar said.
“While I respect the CM's concerns for communal harmony, I draw his attention to the fact that communal harmony and respecting the sentiments of faiths and religions must work both ways,” he added.
The BJP leader argued that sensitivity towards religious beliefs should not depend on political convenience.
“This sentiment and respect cannot be decided by your political expediency and your political opportunism. I accept that he is right in principle, but he is certainly wrong in the way he practises communal harmony,” he said.
Keralam is for all Malayalees. Malayalees alone will decide the present & future of Keralam. Our food, our culture, our celebrations. Keralam is part of India. Every Malayalee is an also an Indian. I agree with CMs sentiment in his post. However legitimate questions arise about political culture thats developing in Keralam- Why do some people glorify Jinnah - a man who divided of India on basis of religions? Why do some politicians justify, defend and encourage proscribed Terror organisations like Hamas and their violence? Why do political parties like Cong and CPM hv political alliances with avowed anti-secular, anti-constitution orgn like JamaatEIslami ? As much as CM @vdsatheesan twists and turns in the political wind to justify this destructive political culture, let this be clear - the only reason some people think they can get away with insults and insensitive behavior (Dont forget this cafe is named after Kashi - the holy hindu city) is because they get a free-pass (encouragement) from Cong/CPM for this Imagine CM Keralas tweet and response if someone opens a restaurant named after a Muslim holy city and served Pork ? He will find himself being an Ex-CM or fleeing for his life or both. I was abused and targeted by @pinarayivijayan for speaking against Hamas radicalisation effort in Keralam. Art 19 - right to free speech and expression applies to every Indian. Art 19(2) restrictions to free speech apply to every Indian. So my advise to CM Satheesan is this - ensure sensitivity and respect to ALL Malayalees equally. Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Do not encourage anti-India , anti-Hindu insults/discourse/actions/sentiment like Jinnah worship. In that you will have our support. But selective secularism and selective talk of communal harmony will make you like every other fake politician before you. And we will resist it. Fully. Everytime. #EnthuKitty ? #APAKADAMPolitics— Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X) October 25, 2026
Chandrasekhar then posed a hypothetical question about a restaurant named after a Muslim holy city serving pork.
“What would happen if today a Hindu or any Malayali sets up a restaurant named after a Muslim holy city and proceeds to serve pork in that restaurant? Just think about this,” he said.
In a post on X, Chandrasekhar expanded his criticism, asking why some people glorified Jinnah, whom he accused of dividing India on religious lines, and why some politicians justified or defended Hamas and its violence.
He also questioned why the Congress and CPM had political alliances with Jamaat-e-Islami, which he described as an “avowed anti-secular, anti-constitution” organisation.
Chandrasekhar alleged that the political culture fostered by the two parties allowed what he termed anti-India and anti-Hindu discourse to go unchallenged.
“The only reason some people think they can get away with insults and insensitive behaviour (don't forget this cafe is named after Kashi - the holy Hindu city) is because they get a free-pass (encouragement) from Cong/CPM for this,” he wrote.
He further claimed that Satheesan would react differently if a restaurant named after a Muslim holy city served pork.
BJP LEADER REJECTS CM'S REMARKS ON IUML AND JAMAT-E-ISLAMI
Chandrasekhar also took issue with Satheesan’s remarks in Delhi concerning the growth of the IUML and Jamaat-e-Islami.
“The second point I want to point out is a statement he has made in Delhi regarding the growth of the Indian Union Muslim League and the Jamaat-e-Islami. This is an extremely dangerous proposition that he is putting forth in front of every Malayali,” he said.
Referring to Keralam’s formation day on November 1, Chandrasekhar said the state was completing 70 years and criticised the Congress and CPM for having governed it during that period.
He argued that Satheesan’s political position presented Malayalis with a false choice between supporting the IUML and facing the growth of extremism.
“The Congress CM, and only Congress and CPM have governed the state for 70 years, is today suggesting to every Malayali that we have no option other than either to support IUML or to get extremism. I reject these options,” Chandrasekhar said.
“Malayalis deserve better than the last 70 years of Congress and CPM's divide-and-rule politics,” he added.
In his post, Chandrasekhar also referred to his own past disagreements with Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging that he had been abused and targeted for speaking against what he described as Hamas's radicalisation efforts in the state.
Citing Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2), he called on Satheesan to ensure equal sensitivity towards Hindus, Christians and Muslims.
“My advice to CM Satheesan is this - ensure sensitivity and respect to ALL Malayalees equally. Hindus, Christians and Muslims,” he wrote.
“Do not encourage anti-India, anti-Hindu insults/discourse/actions/sentiment like Jinnah worship,” he added, saying the BJP would support the Chief Minister if he ensured equal respect for all communities.
“But selective secularism and selective talk of communal harmony will make you like every other fake politician before you. And we will resist it. Fully. Everytime,” Chandrasekhar wrote.
WHAT SPARKED THE KASHI ART CAFE CONTROVERSY?
The political exchange follows an Instagram video by vlogger Amrit Singh Darren that triggered a row over Kashi Art Cafe in Fort Kochi, Keralam.
Darren allegedly claimed that the cafe, named after Kashi, a Hindu religious site, served beef despite being situated in an area predominantly inhabited by Muslims. He also claimed that a silver statue of Muhammad Ali Jinnah had been installed alongside a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
The video went viral on social media, drawing both support and criticism, with several users from Keralam questioning its claims and the potential impact on communal relations.
Fort Kochi police registered a case against Darren under Sections 353(2) and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These provisions concern statements promoting enmity between groups and provocation with the intent to cause a riot.
According to the first information report (FIR), Darren shared the video and made remarks knowing that his actions could disturb public peace and trigger clashes between two religious communities. The case followed a complaint by a Fort Kochi resident.
The FIR alleged that the remarks could create hatred and animosity between religious communities. The allegations are subject to investigation.
However, the Gandhi-Jinnah installation at the cafe is an artwork created years ago by prominent artist Riyas Komu. The installation explores the lives of the two leaders from Gujarat, their struggle against foreign rule and the Partition that followed. It has attracted renewed attention following the circulation of Darren’s video.
VD SATHEESAN SAYS KERALAM WILL NOT ALLOW COMMUNAL HATRED
Responding to the controversy, Satheesan said Keralam stood united and would not tolerate attempts to spread communal hatred.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said, “Keralam stands united. Communal hatred has no place here.”
He described the Instagram video by a vlogger from outside the state as an attempt to spread misinformation about Fort Kochi, portray Keralam negatively and divide communities.
“The recent Instagram video by a vlogger from outside the state, attempting to spread misinformation about Fort Kochi, portray our state in a negative light, and divide communities, is unacceptable,” Satheesan wrote.
He said a case had been registered and the law would take its course, adding that the United Democratic Front (UDF) government remained committed to communal harmony and justice without fear or favour.
“No room for hate. We will not allow anyone to even lay a finger on our communal harmony,” he said.
Chandrasekhar agreed with the Chief Minister’s stated commitment to communal harmony but argued that it must be applied consistently, regardless of the community involved.
The dispute has widened from allegations surrounding a cafe and a viral social media video into a broader political confrontation over religious sensitivities, freedom of expression, communal harmony and the role of political alliances in Keralam.
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