Political violence is in CPM’s nature, says Amit Shah

New Delhi: Continuing his tirade against the CPI(M)-led Kerala government over the “political killing” of Sangh Parivar and BJP cadres and supporters, BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday alleged it was being done to “instill fear” among people and prevent the saffron party from expanding in the southern state. Hitting back, the CPI(M) said the BJP was trying to divert public attention from the “growing discontent” against the Narendra Modi government.

Mr Shah was in Kerala on October 3 to launch a 15-day “Janraksha Yatra” against “red terror” and the rise of jihadi elements under CPI(M) rule. Addressing party workers at a similar yatra by its Delhi state unit, Mr Shah reiterated his allegations that the “political killings” in Kerala were being carried out on the “orders” of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Mr Shah asserted that “the more the Left parties indulge in the politics of violence, the more will the lotus (BJP symbol) bloom”. He also said that wherever the CPI(M) was in power, that state witnessed such killings.

Soon after Mr Shah’s statements attacking the Kerala government, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury claimed the BJP campaign was a “flop show”. He alleged that “without resorting to violence and communal polarisation, the RSS and BJP can never expand their social base”, and it was trying to do the same in Kerala.

He said the BJP protest near the CPI(M)’s office on Sunday was “unprecedented” in Indian democracy and a reflection of the “tendencies of fascism” coming to the fore in Indian politics, with the BJP ruling at the Centre. To Mr Shah’s allegation about “political killings” under CPI(M) rule, Mr Yechury countered by claiming that the Sangh was “responsible for starting political violence” in Kerala.

Earlier, Mr Shah alleged that since the CPI(M) government had come to power in Kerala, over 120 BJP workers had been killed. “They were killed brutally,” asserted Mr Shah.

Questioning the very nature of the brutal killing of RSS and BJP cadres in Kerala, Mr Shah asked when a man could be killed with a bullet, “why are the BJP workers being hacked into pieces?” He then tried to explain that it was done to send the message that if anyone supports or joins the BJP, they would be killed, and that brutality was being used “to instill fear in the minds of people so that they do not support the BJP”.

Mr Shah was joined by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, national vice-president and Delhi in-charge Shyam Jaju, the party’s national office-bearers, MPs, MLAs, MCD leaders and state office-bearers.

Asserting that the party cadre were “not scared of sacrificing their lives for the nation and party ideology”, Mr Shah said: “Our workers won’t tolerate killings but they will not reply to violence with violence as we are not Communists. We will spread awareness against these political killings.”

He said most of the “political killings” had taken place in Kannur, the Kerala CM’s home district. “In Kerala, when BJP people are killed, no arrest is made. All the murders are being done on the orders of the chief minister,” Mr Shah alleged, as he cautioned both the Communists and the Congress that while “Communism has ended in the world, the Congress has ended in India”. He reminded them that the BJP, which started with only 10 members, was now the world’s biggest party, with over 11 crore workers.

The BJP president also hit out at human rights groups for their “selective outrage”. saying: “Violence is violence. And I challenge the champions of human rights who take out protests to condemn the killings of a Communist worker... why do they remain mute when our workers are killed? Why can’t we see you taking out candle marches for our workers? Selective protests for the Communist workers has exposed you people.”