Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who returned to the post of the State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Friday, blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) for the murder of CPI(M) Peringara local committee secretary P.B. Sandeep Kumar and called for a high-level investigation to uncover the conspiracy behind the act.
Addressing his first press conference after resuming charge, Mr. Balakrishnan alleged that the murder was a pre-planned one. He also wanted the State Government to examine a reported police version that it was not politically motivated. The police, he said, should not have made any such observation while the investigation was still on.
The CPI(M) did not support tit-for-tat murders, Mr. Balakrishnan said, adding that 215 CPI(M) workers had died at the hands of the RSS-BJP in the State so far. A total of 15 of the 20 workers of the party killed since 2016 had fallen victims to the RSS-BJP attack. Overall, 588 CPI(M) workers had died in political violence, he said.
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Protests
Mr. Balakrishnan urged party workers not to fall for provocation by the RSS. The party would organise protests in a peaceful manner, including in Pathanamthitta district, he said.
On the RSS denying any role in the murder, he said the RSS had never admitted to any killing. “Have they admitted to killing Mahatma Gandhi yet?” he asked.
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Periye murder
He said innocent persons had been named as accused in the Periye murder case. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the case, should strive to identify the real culprits and ignore directions from outside, he said. “We will not oppose a proper investigation,” he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan accused the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) of trying to use mosques to foment unrest in connection with the decision to hand over Waqf Board appointments to the Public Service Commission (PSC). Places of worship should not be used for political motives, he said, welcoming the stand taken by the Samasta on the issue.
On SilverLine
The United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP were trying to subvert development in the State, he said. There was no logic to the UDF’s objection to the SilverLine semi high-speed rail project, according to him. “The UDF had proposed a high-speed rail project. We, in fact, had supported it at the time,” he said.