Chief Secretary Tom Jose’s remarks that Maoists have no ‘human rights and privileges as normal citizens’ snowballed into a political controversy on Tuesday with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition demanding an explanation from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the floor of the Assembly.
Mr. Jose had written in a newspaper article that “there is no rationale in stating that Maoists who indulge in armed conflict have got the same human rights and privileges as normal citizens.”
Chennithala’s charge
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala took strong exception to Mr. Jose’s stance. He said Mr. Jose had rejected Article 21 of the Constitution which offered citizens protection against the tyranny of the State. The fundamental right shielded citizens from deprivation of life and infringement of personal freedom except according to the procedure established by law.
Mr. Chennithala asked Mr. Vijayan whether he subscribed to the view of the Chief Secretary. “Has the Kerala government declared an Emergency in the State and suspended fundamental rights of citizens,” he asked.
Mr. Vijayan said he had not read the article and would examine it. He reiterated Mr. Jose’s view that the four Maoists were killed in retaliatory fire by police commandos in the Agali forests in Palakkad.
Mr. Jose had also argued in the article that “terrorists appear in many shapes and forms amongst us”. They work in urban areas and their ‘benign and human face’ hide their ‘vicious plotting’.
‘Justifying arrests’
The Opposition portrayed Mr. Jose’s comment as a justification of the arrest of two CPI(M) workers, both students, in Kozhikode under the provisions of the ‘draconian’ Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The police had come under severe criticism from civil society, members of the ruling CPI(M) and the UDF for imperilling the future of the youths.
Mr. Jose’s article upholding the anti-Maoist police action last week came on a day when the CPI, a dominant partner in the ruling LDF, submitted a report to Mr. Vijayan damning the ‘cold-blooded murders’.
A CPI fact-finding team had visited the spot last Friday. CPI State assistant secretary K. Prakash slammed Mr. Jose’s opinion.
