THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Our party believes in fighting politically and ideologically, the party is of the ruling classes. That is what AKG,EMS, E.K. Nayanar and other leaders stood for. “We do not subscribe to individual killings of political opponents or those who opposed our party and its politics.” Perhaps it is time for the CPM cadres in the state to spare a thought for sane words uttered by senior leaders during testing times in the past.
Exactly a year and four days after the gruesome murder of Shuhaib in Kannur, the CPM has once again come under the scanner for political murders. After coming in for severe condemnation then, the CPM leadership had made it clear that politics of murder was not part of party’s culture and aberrations, if any, would be corrected. It was categorically stated that the CPM culture was to defeat the enemies politically and ideologically .
Now the CPM leadership has been forced yet again to repeat the same words following the brutal murder of youth Congress leaders. The CPM faces serious charges of murder at a time when its Government is grappling with crucial issues like Sabarimala issue and rebuild Kerala.
Moreover, coming as it is just a month away from the declaration of crucial Lok Sabha polls, the murders threaten to alienate the party from people who are dead against turning Kerala into killing fields. The CPM had struggled for more than two years and even faced electoral reverses after the brutal murder of T.P. Chandrashekharan.
Even CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balkrishnan fears that the Kasarg-od incident will be used by the political opponents in forthcoming polls. The BJP-RSS whi-ch carried out nationwide campaign branding CPM as party of kill-ers not long ago, is likely to remount its attack.
Many believe the CPM which was striving hard to build a secular and progressive movement invoking renaissance values to counter Sangh Parivar offensive on Sabarimala issue, might receive a temporary setback because of such acts of violence.
Clearly the party will have to take tough action if those behind the gruesome incident are found to be CPM works notwithstanding their position in the party. Merely repeating time and again that such criminal elements will not have a place in CPM will just not be enough. It’s time for the leadership to walk the talk.
