After three days of accusations and counter-accusations over the responsibility for triggering and perpetrating the violence that had started in State capital Thiruvananthapuram last Thursday, top leaders of bitter political rivals CPI(M) and BJP-RSS in Kerala sat down to discuss peace on Monday and agreed to take measures for restoring it though observers seemed skeptical about how long the understanding would hold.
The understanding among the leaders to work for peace was reached at during a bilateral meeting called by Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram in the context of the widespread violence involving CPI(M) and BJP activists in which an RSS leader, Rajesh (34), was murdered on Saturday night and the BJP’s State office was vandalized early Friday
morning.
Pinarayi said after the talks, “The meeting concluded that it would be good if (more) bilateral talks were held at regional level. As per this, meetings will be held at the level of district leaderships of both sides in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Kannur. There was also a general understanding that an all-party meet should be held over the incidents in the capital.”
The Chief Minister convened the meeting of the top leaders of the CPI(M) and the BJP-RSS as per an assurance he had given to Governor P Sathasivam during their meeting on Sunday after the he summoned Pinarayi to Raj Bhavan to seek an explanation on the recurring incidents of political violence in Thiruvananthapuram and the law order situation in
the State.
Another understanding reached at was that the leaderships of the two opposing sides would remain alert to ensure that the activists abstained from acts of violence. Awareness campaigns will be held among the activists of the two sides in order to ensure that incidents of violence were not repeated.
The regional meetings between district-level leaderships of the two sides will be held in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam on Tuesday and that in Kannur, the most sensitive district in the State as far as rivalry between the CPI(M) and BJP-RSS is concerned, will be held on August 5.
The all-party meet is to take place in Thiruvananthapuram
on August 6.
The bilateral meeting observed that the violent incidents that took place in Thiruvananthapuram since last Thursday were extremely unfortunate and condemnable.
The leaders, who condemned Friday’s attack on the State committee office of the BJP, agreed to remain cautious in order to avert attacks against offices of political and other organizations and houses.
The CPI(M) was represented at the meeting by its State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and V Sivankutty, former MlA from Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram, while the BJP was represented by its State president Kummanam Rajasekharan and Nemom MlA O Rajagopal. Pranth Karyavah P Gopalankutty Master took part in the meeting for the RSS.
“The Chief Minister assured the meeting that it was possible for the Government to act impartially (in matters related to political violence). He has informed us that his Government is committed to ensuring this,” said Kummanam Rajasekharan after the meeting. “There should be freedom in the State for political and organizational activities for all,”
he added.
Meanwhile, the FIR registered by the police the other day in the case pertaining to the murder of RSS leader Rajesh in Thiruvananthapuram contradicted the claim of the CPI(M) that the incident had no political links but it was the result of personal rivalry.
The FIR said political rivalry between the DYFI and RSS over personal issues could have led to the murder.
The police have reportedly taken all the accused in the murder case, including the leader of the killer gang that had hacked Rajesh
to death.
They had taken nine persons into custody on Sunday itself and the arrest of seven of them was recorded on the same day.
As per the FIR, 11 persons had participated in the killing. The police are also probing the conspiracy behind the
murder.
At the same time, violence involving the BJP and CPI(M) continued in Kottayam on Monday also. A petrol bomb was hurled at the district committee office of the BJP in Kottayam allegedly by CPI(M) activists and offices of the CITU and DYFI there also came under attack.
Both incidents occurred early Monday morning.