The BJP leader said that protests against the Governor by the Students Federation of India and the Democratic Youth Federation of India — the student and youth wings of the CPI(M), respectively — were acceptable, but agitations against a Left minister were not.

This is an “authoritarian style” of communist parties, he claimed.

He warned that if attacks on BJP and related organisations’ workers are not stopped, the Left parties and their leaders will have to pay a heavy price.

“If the CPI(M) is trying to suppress the protesters by taking the law into its own hands, and if the police decide to help them by standing by, then the national movements, including the BJP, will take to the streets,” the BJP leader said.

He also said that criticising and insulting the ‘Bharat Mata’, a sentimental concept for the country, was not acceptable and whosoever dares to do so will face a strong protest in a democratic manner.

Chandrasekhar further warned that if the Left government’s decision was to suppress the protests by force, there were those on the other side who were capable of retaliating in the same manner.

The southern state has been witnessing a tussle between Arlekar and the Marxist party-led LDF government over the display of ‘Bharat Mata portrait’ during official events at the Raj Bhavan here.