Violence won't deter party workers: Jaitley on RSS worker murder in Kerala

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After meeting the grieving family of slain Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Rajesh Edavakode here on Sunday, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said that such violence will neither suppress the party's ideology in Kerala.

Addressing a gathering after meeting Rajesh's kin, Jaitley condemned the dastardly attack and said that "even enemies would not be as brutal as those who are involved in the murder".

"I visited the family of our deceased karyakarta, who was slaughtered in the most barbaric manner...he was an ideal karyakarta..This kind of violence will neither suppress ideology in Kerala nor it will be able to scare our workers. It will only increase their determination to work harder against those who are perpetuating this operation," he added.

"He belonged to the weaker section of the society. . Rajesh belonged to a poor family and now his family has no means of a livelihood. He was stabbed mercilessly and there were 70-80 wounds inflicted on his body, even enemies would not be as brutal as those involved in the murder. In the past few months party officers are being attacked, our workers are being attacked and their houses are being set ablaze," he added.

A series of clashes between CPM and BJP-RSS activists had rocked Thiruvananthapuram last month in which the 34-year-old RSS worker was murdered in Kozhikode.

Earlier, the RSS urged the Central and state Government to take strict action towards bringing this series of murders to an end in Kerala.

"Centre must intervene in state sponsored violence in Kerala," said RSS Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale

RSS also passed a resolution in RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meet regarding these attacks on the RSS by CPM cadres in the state.

Eight suspects were detained in connection with the murder.

Earlier Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the murder and called for an all-party meeting on August 6 regarding the same.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had called on Vijayan to nab the perpetrators and bring them to justice expeditiously.

He even requested the Chief Minister to curb the political violence in the state and said, "I expect that the political violence in Kerala is curbed and that the perpetrators are brought to justice expeditiously."

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on July 4 issued notice to Kerala Government over growing incidents of political violence in the state and sought a report on the issue within four weeks.

The Commission also asked the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to take effective measures to stop such incidents.