Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday accused his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan of patronising criminalisation of politics by providing a free hand to alleged lumpen elements in the CPI(M) to physically eliminate political opponents.
Interacting with mediapersons after visiting the houses of BJP activists Vimala and Radhakrishnan, who were killed in political violence at Kanjikode, near here, last year, Mr. Chouhan alleged that Mr. Vijayan was fanning flames of political violence by promoting hit squads and dispiriting the police force from initiating impartial action. “Those who have the constitutional obligation to protect the life and security of people are now deputing hit squads to eliminate opponents, mainly those who from the Sangh Parivar. We will not allow the killers to continue their business. In Kerala, nobody except CPI(M) cadres are allowed to engage in political activity,” he said.
According to Mr. Chouhan, Kerala is the only State which has retained the barbaric practice of annihilating those who subscribe to different political ideologies.
“An year has gone since the Kanjikode violence unleashed by the CPI(M) goons. Only because of the political clout of those who murdered Vimala and Radhakrishnan, the police are not arresting them. The BJP is committed to ensuring maximum relief to both the families,” he said.
Mr. Chouhan was accompanied by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, BJP Kerala unit president Kummanam Rajasekharan and party leaders V. Muraleedharan, M.T. Ramesh, N. Sivarajan, C. Krishnakumar and E. Krishnadas. Mr. Chouhan was in Palakkad to take part in the Janaraksha Yathra led by Mr. Rajasekharan.
