The Janadhipathya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS), led by Adivasi leader C.K. Janu, has accused the CPI(M) of unleashing violence against Dalits and Adivasis in the State even as protecting its perpetrators.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, JRS acting chairman E.P. Kumaradas and general secretary Thekkan Sunilkumar said their party would soon bring out a white paper on atrocities against tribal people and members of Scheduled Castes. To highlight the issue, the party plans to organise a Secretariat march by the end of this year.
Ms. Janu alleged that political parties covertly or overtly supported atrocities against Dalits and tribal people. “Kerala stands third among States when it comes to violence against Dalits and Adivasis. As many as 7,676 cases had been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act till 2012. And majority of them were in Kannur district,” she said.
“Political leaders make a hue and cry when atrocities against Dalits happen outside the State. But they cleverly dodge when violence occurs in Kerala. In fact, Dalits and Adivasis in Kerala face more violence compared to other States,” Ms. Janu alleged.
‘House defaced’
Mr. Sunil Kumar said Adivasis were not allowed to construct houses in CPI(M) villages, and that their sacred groves were forcibly taken over by the party in Kannur. “CPI(M) activists defaced a newly built house with black oil and desecrated the well with waste hair at Parappanangadi in Malappuram district,” he alleged.
Mr. Kumaradas said the previous LDF government had been reluctant to file cases with regard to atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis. As many as 130 mysterious deaths have been reported in Attappady of Palakkad district, he added.
Both the Congress and the Left coalition had never accommodated Adivasis or Dalits in the State’s political space for the last more than 60 years.
The five-month-old JRS, which is part of the BJP-led NDA coalition in the State, now plans to expand its base. The party’s district conventions will be completed by December, Ms. Janu said.
