Political violence: CPI(M) seeks PM's intervention

With political violence claiming two lives in Kannur last week, CPI(M) today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and advise the RSS-BJP against indulging in "violence of politics".
"The RSS-BJP central leadership should intervene to put an end to the attacks against CPI(M) workers by their activists, who are unleashing violence," CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters at Thalassery.
He said if RSS informs Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that they are preparedfor talks, action in this regard would naturally be taken.
To ensure that peace prevails in Kannur, CPI(M) was prepared for talks, Kodiyeri said.
"We have made this clear earlier itself. But RSS was not prepared to accept such a stand," he said after visiting the family of K Mohanan, the CPI(M) Pathiriyad local committee member who was hacked to death allegedly by RSS workers earlier this month.

He claimed that RSS was trying to showcase it as having the best of behaviour.

But on the other hand, they were walking around with bombs and guns and launching attacks on Marxist workers, Kodiyeri alleged.
"CPI(M) has at all times stood for peace. That is why the party, despite being bruised,has maintained self restraint and decided not to be provoked and face the situation calmly," he said.
Kodiyeri claimed that the Marxist party's strongholds, such as Pathiriyad, were being "chosen" for attacks.
"Those who launched the attacks had come from outside. Despite the provocations, we have protested only by assembling the masses. This should not be taken as our weakness," he added.

Kodiyeri said that as the head of the government, the Chief Minister earlier took the initiative for peace and met Union Minister Ananth Kumar at Delhi and had asked him to delegate an RSS leader for talks.
"The CM had also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and had informed him about this. But nothing happened," he said.
"RSS propagates peace outside but is shying away from taking practical steps towards that direction', he added.
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Kodiyeri also blamed BJP National President Amit Shah for the violence in Kannur.
He alleged that Shah was the "brain" behind the violence in Kannur and that his aim was to "wipe out" CPI(M) from Kerala.

Reacting to Kodiyeri's statement that the saffron party should seek the CM's intervention to find peace in Kannur, BJP Vice President M T Ramesh said the Marxist leader was speaking like a "landlord".
"It is the Pinarayi Vijayan government's responsbility to ensure peace in the state", he said.
Meanwhile, there was a minor clash between CPI(M) and BJP workers at nearby Thumba, in which two BJP and threeMarxist workers were injured, police said.
Three persons have been taken into custody.