Dejected, BJP cadre take up arms: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan

Thiruvananthapuram: The other day BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan claimed after meeting Governor P. Sathasivam that CPM workers triggered violence in Kannur. But local BJP leaders say their cadre are a demoralised lot, forcing them to take up weapons. Over the last few days, there has been a series of violence targeting both the CPM and BJP workers in Kannur and other parts of the state. BJP leaders are worried about the fact that instead of their cadre remaining calm, they have also resorted to violence.

BJP leaders admit openly that the violence is happening without their knowledge. A prominent BJP leader from Kannur lamented that it was unfortunate that Mr Rajasekharan’s Janaraksha Yatra turned out to be a damp squib as it was against red terror. “BJP national president Amit Shah’s roadshow coinciding with Janaraksha Yatra at Kasaragod was a failure. Or else, his yatra should have reaped benefits in the form of peace in Kannur and elsewhere now which has not happened,” he said.

He did not shy away from criticising the RSS top brass either. He feels the old charm of being in Sangh Parivar has lost. However, Mr Rajasekharan said retaliatory attacks were natural. “I was under the impression that the LDF government will turn a new leaf post-Janaraksha Yatra. The RSS and BJP are not advocates of violence which should be abhorred at any cost”, he told DC.

RSS state joint organising secretary (Saha Karyavahak) M. Radhakrishnan came down heavily on the police in Kannur for protecting the CPM perpetrators. “CPM depends too much on their police, forcing them not to take action against their party cadres involved in the violence. We need to identify whether the police investigation is happening judiciously or not. BJP workers are being targeted by the police in Kannur for trivial cases but charge them with serious offences forcing them to leave home”, he told DC. Meanwhile, the government is yet to respond to the Governor seeking a report on the series of violence over the last 21 months. He had sought a comprehensive report on the series of violence after Mr Rajasekharan had called on him on Wednesday.