For anyone who knows the basics of Kerala politics, there's nothing new about the violent ways in which the communist party and the Hindutva party have been trying to suppress the growth of each other in the northern district.Political parties may continue with their brazen blame game and socio-psychologists may dig deep into the bloody tales of revenge-filled history of the land for an answer, but the common man is left with no option other than share the pain of the bereaved families and condemn the forces that have thrown the rule of the law out the window.
Yes, it's about the murderous politics of Kannur, which has reared its ugly head again Wednesday, this time claiming the life of a young BJP worker. The murder took place just two days after a CPM worker was killed in a similar manner, making it look like a tit for tat.
While the culprits in both the cases are yet to be nabbed, the ruling CPM and BJP have been blaming each other for the murders of their activists. For anyone who knows the basics of Kerala politics, there's nothing new about the violent ways in which the communist party and the Hindutva party have been trying to suppress the growth of each other in the northern district.
Read also: Pinarayi downplays BJP demand for probe into Kannur violence
Cold-blooded party loyalists and power-hungry leaders may have a thousand reasons to defend the violence being unleashed by their fellow workers. But it's unacceptable and painful for the majority of the citizens who wish to leave in peace and harmony, irrespective of political or religious differences. The Kannur bloodshed has such a long history that it has reached a stage where it's impossible to pinpoint the blame on one leader or party. But the ruling CPM can't wash its hands of the sudden rise in the violent incidents since it came to power a few months ago.
That the latest murder took place in chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's hometown makes it all the more appalling. Pinarayi may be a strong leader and an efficient administrator, but the repeated bloody episodes make him look a fragile home minister who has little control over the law and order of the state, and worse, murderous elements in his own party. And, that's the last thing the state wants its leader to be.
So, can the BJP be called the lone innocent victim? Never. Having lost a young activist, whose father also was a victim of the district’s murder politics, in the latest incident, the sympathy quotient is with the saffron party this time. (It was with the rival camp just two days back.) But a quick rewind to the recent past will also expose how the BJP is as culpable as the CPM for the rising intolerant, brutal and violent episodes of political revenge.
The BJP, of late, especially since the run-up to the Kerala assembly elections, has been trying to keep the violence in Kannur and the loss of its workers as a burning issue. The leaders of both the parties, at the national and state levels, call for peace but at the same time send a different message to the rank and file by their chest-thumping and shameless warnings of escalations.
The unusual violent nature of politics in the state, especially in Kannur, has already put Kerala in a bad light in front of the world. Let’s hang our heads in shame -- Kerala’s achievements in literacy and other human development indices sound hollow when this kind of insensitive, brutal and no-holds barred politics of murder is being practiced here. It is misleading to term these murders as part of an ideological fight; it’s just plain murder, with no will from the government to stop it.
We need an end to this -- to lead a peaceful life, to nurture an environment of amity and growth, and above all to convince ourselves that humanity still survives in our state which we are so fond to call God’s own country.
(Views expressed are personal)
