The BJP on Wednesday accused the Kerala government of supporting “violent attacks” by CPI(M) cadres on its members and those of the RSS after crude bombs exploded at the party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram the previous night.
Rejecting the CPI(M)’s statement that it had nothing to do with the blast, Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanded an impartial investigation into the attacks on BJP and RSS cadres in the State, saying such violence had been on the rise after the Left Democratic Front came to power in the State in May.
“One thing that has steadily increased since the CPI(M) came to power is political violence, which is reflective of what has always happened under its governments in the State. Unfortunately, the political party which gives the violence its support is in power. The government is indirectly encouraging violence,” she said.
“We suspect this attack was an attack on the president of the party State unit, Kummanam Rajasekharan, who had left the building minutes before the bombs went off. Not even one accused had been rounded up in cases of attacks on the RSS workers,” she said.
Following ‘Kannur model’The incident occurred shortly after the BJP State president had left the office for Kozhikode where preparations were on for the party’s three-day National Council meeting from September 23.
Ms. Sitharaman accused the Left cadres of following the “Kannur model” elsewhere too. Kannur, a Left citadel, has a history of clashes between CPI(M) and RSS activists.
“The State government is indirectly supporting the attacks. CPI(M) workers would act as if they are running the government. Action [by police] depends only on the basis of political affiliations,” she said.
According to her it was “shocking” the attacks were continuing even after a BJP delegation had met President Pranab Mukherjee in this regard.
Taking a dig at CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury over his remarks on Kashmir, she said he should first go to Kerala to usher in peace and harmony as his party was in power there.
