CPM Kerala secretary preaches eye for eye; justifies political murders

In a controversial speech on Sunday, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan urged his party men not to let political rivals walk free after hitting them. They should be repaid in kind without delay, he told party workers at a public gathering against communalism. 

Speaking at Payyanur where a CPM activist and a BJP worker were killed on the same night last month, Balakrishnan, suggested that the rivals who attack party men should not be allowed to walk free. They should be repaid within no time. The RSS should realise that they would endure what they have inflicted on us. "CPM stands for peace. But we will not stand with our hands tied if we were targetted," the CPM leader said. 


The party should have a system to counter attacks from rivals at the local level. The party workers, both men and women, should be given physical training to respond to violence effectively. Only then we would be able to counter our enemies, Balakrishnan said.  
 

Also read: Blood-curdling history of Kannur's political factionalism

 

The former Home Minister also blamed the police for allegedly supporting the BJP and the RSS. "The police have sided with the accused and not with the victims. The higher ups should correct them.," he said referring to the murder of CPM worker Dhanraj at Payyanur. He also blamed the RSS and the BJP for creating unrest in the area. 

   Balakrishnan must be booked for publicly advocating violence: VM Sudheeran, state Congress chief.

Strongly condemning the statement, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president VM Sudheeran accused Balakrishnan of fanning violence. The Payyannur speech is provocative and is a challenge to the law and order in the state, he said. " It is unfortunate that the party's state secretary himself has asked its followers to engage in violence. Balakrishnan must be booked for publicly advocating violence," Sudheeran demanded. 


The BJP state president Kummanam Rajashekharan also demanded that the CPM leader should be prosecuted. "The CPM leader is publicly inciting violence and is urging party workers to go on rioting," he said. By stating that the police is helping RSS, Balakrishnan is actually criticising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also handling the home portfolio, he added. "The CPM state secretary's statement is actually an outburst of the internal rivalries within the party," he alleged.


Also read: Kannur murders: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement draws flak
 

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had invited criticism for keeping silent on the murderers of the BJP worker who was killed in retaliation for the murder of Dhanraj. Earlier, senior CPM leader and Kannur district secretary had also justified political murders in his district at a public function. 
 

Also read: CPM leader lands in a soup after pledging to repay ‘debt’ with interest

• Kodiyeri Balakrishan
• Payyannur speech of Kodiyeri
• CPM-BJP violence