Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The BJP is leveling false allegations about violence by the CPIM) against BJP workers in Kerala. BJP workers have held a demonstration at the Central Committee office of the CPI(M) and indulged in vandalism.
The BJP leadership is adopting a hypocritical and dishonest position about what has actually happened in Kerala.
On the 19th of May when the results were declared, CPI(M) workers took out a victory procession in Pinarayi which is in the constituency of Chief Minister designate, Pinarayi Vijayan. This procession was attacked by the BJP-RSS workers resulting in the death of C.V. Raveendran, a 53 year old member of the CPI(M). His son Jishen and four others were injured.
In Kasargode district in the Kanhangad constituency, the victory procession of the LDF candidate and sitting CPI MLA E Chandrashekaran was attacked by BJP workers. Chandrashekaran’s hand was fractured and CPI(M) leader A K Narayanan and others were injured. On the same day, a bomb was hurled at a CPI(M) rally in Mattanoor, Kannur district, where four people were injured.
In Trikkaripur in Kasargode district, BJP men attacked youth workers of the CPI(M) in which one comrade was injured.
In Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram district, BJP workers attacked the local committee office of the CPI(M) after the results were announced. There were numerous such attacks across the state.
It is evident from the above incidents that it was the BJP which initiated this bout of violence after the results were declared.
The people of Kerala gave a resounding verdict in favour of the LDF. It is against this democratic verdict of the people that the BJP launched attacks in various places against the CPI(M) and the LDF. Such attacks will not be tolerated by the people.
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Cabinet Minister, instead of issuing threats to the CPI(M) should ensure that his Party unit in Kerala stops making such violent attacks.
As far as the CPI(M) and the LDF are concerned, they will contribute to maintaining peace and avoiding any clashes.