Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan lauds Kim Jong Un’s North Korea over anti-US stand, sparks row

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday invited a controversy by lauding isolated nation North Korea over its dictator Kim Jong Un’s “tough stand” against US.

Speaking at CPM district committee meeting in Kozhikode, Vijayan talked about how Kim and North Korea “successfully defended the pressure imposed by US”.

"North Korea has been following tough anti-USA agenda. North Korea has successfully defended the pressure imposed by US,” he said addressing party workers.

The Chief Minister also reportedly said that North Korea has been more effective than China in countering US.

The statement by the Kerala Chief Minister comes amid a fierce war of words between Kim and US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Even on Thursday, the White House questioned mental health of the North Korean dictator while US Vice President Mike Pence asserted that “America won’t be bullied or threatened”.

And a day earlier, US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning for the isolated nation, saying he had a bigger nuclear button which could destroy North Korea.

In December, the CPM had put up a poster featuring the North Korean dictator. Tweeting a photograph of the poster, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra had said, “No wonder they have converted Kerala into killing fields for their opponents”.

He further took a dig at the Left party, saying “hope the left is not planning to launch missiles at the RSS, BJP offices.”

His tweet said, “Kim Jong-un finds place in CPM’s posters in Kerala!! No wonder they have converted Kerala into Killing fields for their opponents! Hope the left is not planning to launch missiles at the RSS,BJP offices as their next gruesome agenda!”