THIRUVANTHAPURAM: As the RSS and the Left continue to trade charges over the clashes between their cadres, Kerala unit RSS general secretary P. Gopalan Kutty “Master” maintained that “retaliation is needed to keep the morale of the cadres high.”
Speaking to this newspaper, he said that the RSS cadre in the state “feel that the ongoing peace talks were of no use”.
In an attempt to put an end to violent clashes, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had convened a meeting of CPM and BJP-RSS state leaders on July 31 where a decision was taken to hold similar meetings on a regular basis in three most violent affected districts of the state.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has reportedly already asked the local RSS unit to engage in the peace talks to see there was no violence.
However at a time of attempted peace, the RSS secretary claimed that the Left party cadre have taken advantage of the process and “regrouped to launch further attacks.”
Then he added, “It is required for the RSS- BJP workers to retaliate in a bid to defend themselves.”
Trying to justify the “need to defend”, Mr Kutty claimed that such “retaliation is necessary.”
We have told our people to stay prepared as they can be targeted at any given time by the Reds. As for the peace process he said, “Whenever there were discussions, a pause for peace, the Left used the time to regroup and launch a fresh attack on RSS and BJP.”
When reminded that the RSS chief was favouring the peace talks, Mr Kutty maintained that “we are ready for talks and not against the process.”
