Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan rubbished the charge that the CPM was behind the murders of Youth Congress workers at Periya in Kerala's Kasaragod district. “The CPM has no need to plan such a murder,” the chief minister said while addressing the media on Tuesday.
Pinarayi Vijayan trotted out the argument that it would be politically naive for the CPM to plan such a murder when the LDF's Kerala Samrakshana Yatra was on. “The state as a whole is focussed on the two jathas organised by the LDF. The northern leg had started from Kasaragod,” he said and asked: “Will anyone with basic political literacy resort to such a tactic on that day itself.” CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, too, had used this line of argument.
When he was asked whether the logic was that it was reasonable to plot a murder when there were no such 'jathas', Pinarayi Vijayan refused to be drawn into the question. “When it comes to me, there is no logic or illogic. What I had wanted to say has been told straight. But if it is something else you want from me, I don't think I can give it now,” he said and wound up the press conference.
Earlier, the chief minister refused to respond specifically to pointed charges raised at the presser. He was asked whether the CPM's policy of going all out to protect the culprits after the initial show of shock was encouraging the cadre to indulge in political violence. He was asked why CPM men were either the victims or the perpetrators in virtually all political crimes in the state. He was also asked why he was not able to bring down political killings even after he took over as chief minister.
All of these questions he ignored. But he made a sentimental pitch that sought to paint the CPM as the perennially persecuted party. “CPM is not a party that promotes violence. On the other hand, CPM has been the victim of innumerable violent attacks. CPM does not encourage any kind of violence,” he said, and slowly cranked up the emotional charge.
“The CPM is a party that is fully aware of the pain that comes from being the victim of violence. This is a party that has suffered a lot. This is a party that had stood looking at the death of many of its own with suppressed pain. This is not a party that will attempt to kill anyone,” he said. For emphasis, he added: “Never in its history has the CPM stood for violence.”
At the same time, the chief minister did not defend the CPM leader who was the main accused. When he was told that a leading CPM district functionary Peethambaran was implicated in the crime, he said the party would take this seriously. “Not just legal measures, strong party action will also be initiated,” he said. The chief minister also said top police officials had been instructed to nab the culprits as quickly as possible.
Perhaps to give a historical perspective to the victim tag he sought to give his party, Pinarayi Vijayan also made a vague reference to the atrocities committed against it during the Emergency. “There were certain moments when the CPM had demanded that it needed the space to function like any other party. But even during these occasions, the CPM had pushed forward by lining up people behind it. We depend only on the people. Any action that creates misunderstanding among them, or is opposed by them, will not be approved by the CPM,” he said.