Kannur turning capital of CPM Murder Politics

Congress-CPM nexus against RSS

T Satisan

After a brief peaceful interval CPM’s murder politics has raised its dirty head again in Kannur district, Kerala. Since the last couple of years CPM goons’ daggers had not pierced into the bodies of the RSS-BJP workers much, thanks to a host of reasons affecting CPM. But, now, they have taken the swords out from the sheath. The prey is a young, handsome, dynamic, idealistic RSS worker, Vinodkumar (28); he was the Payyannur Town Shakha Karyavah of RSS and a professional photographer. The incident occurred when the CPM men stopped the vehicles of BJP and RSS workers who were heading to the venue of 14th death anniversary programme of late Bharathiya Janatha Yuva Morcha state vice-president Jayakrishnan Master. Master was brutally killed by the CPM goons in the class room of Mokeri East UP  School in Thalassery, Kannur district on the December 1, 1999 while he was teaching small children of 6th standard ! Perhaps the only incident of that sort in the whole world ! Those children had to undergo psychiatric treatments and counseling due to the mental trauma they suffered after eye witnessing the cold blooded murder of their beloved teacher.

Even though every year Sangh Parivar workers observe Jayakrishnan Balidan Anniversary, this time CPM leaders had some reasons to be angrier. Because due to the soft policy they have been following towards Islamic fundamentalist organisations and the clashes taking place between both movements, lot of CPM cadres are slowly joining Sangh Parivar organisations. This development takes place even in CPM’s powerful ‘party villages’ ! Fights among senior leaders, insincere anti-government stirs which are quite often dumped  half way through, corruption charges and sex scandal charges involving their own leaders, unprincipled stands, injustice towards Hindu cause, etc. lead to several resignations from the party. These are the ‘provocations’ this time. On top of all these, murder of Vinod is the immediate fall out of the recently concluded CPM state plenum’s decision, to found 10 member defence force under every party branch in the state, which sounds like an open call to finish off party’s political opponents. It should be viewed against the backdrop of the Face book post of  December 1, by CPM men jailed in connection with TP Chandrasekharan murder that ‘today is the anniversary of killing the worst guy (naradhaman) by us’. It obviously coincided with Jayakrishnan Balidan Day.

A very significant matter one has to take into account here is the Facebook account the CPM men, jailed in connection with the murder of CPM rebel leader TP Chandrasekharan, were operating from the Kozhikkode jail. This very incident vindicates  Sangh Parivar stand that Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government and CPM leadership are hand in glove. When CPM goes soft towards CM Oommen Chandy in Solargate, they get the quid pro quo in SNC-Lavalin and TP Chandrasekharan cases in the form of slow pedaling by the government. This unholy alliance empowers CPM to unleash murder politics against RSS and BJP. The daylight murder of Vinod should be viewed from this angle.

On December 1, CPM assailants stopped the vehicles carrying the Sangh Parivar workers to the place of Jayakrishnan Balidan Day programme in Payyannur and attacked them in the daylight around 3 PM, that too on National Highway. They blasted bombs for creating terror and then attacked the targeted leaders with swords and daggers. Once the attackers fled the place, Vinod’s colleagues saw his bleeding body lying in the nearby paddy field. Two other BJP workers were seriously injured and are now undergoing treatment in the hospital. This is a clear indication that CPM still pursues its ‘slaughter politics’ in Kerala, especially in Kannur district.

Even though CPM men had killed only one Sangh worker each in 2009 and 2010, they had killed five Sangh workers in a single district of Kannur, in a single month of March of 2008. They were all attacks sans any provocation. But, Swayamsevaks retaliated with full vigour and strength. Moreover heinous murders of five workers in a single month, in a single district, invited all time high wrath of Sangh Parivar workers in other states. Sangh workers of Bangalore protested in front of the house of the Karnataka state secretary of  CPM. In New Delhi, protest  were held in front of AKG Bhavan, CPM’s national HQ, where their Polit Bureau (PB) was in session. When the protestors were stoned by the CPM men, a clash took place in front of AKG Bhavan. In the melee followed the cars of CPM stalwarts were broken. This incident was a shock to the CPM leadership. First time in the history of their murder politics against Sangh, they realised a lesson that they did not have any rank and file in states other than Kerala, Bengal and Thripura. BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu reiterated this point in his statement. They immediately compiled the conciliation efforts taken by Justice VR Krishna Iyer and dispatched Kerala Home Minister and PB member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan to Kerala for peace talks with RSS. The writer still remembers giving the contacts of RSS leaders to Sri Iyer and his sincere efforts to convince the CPM-led government about the need of bringing peace back in Kannur.

PP Sureshbabu, Kozhikode Sambhag Karyavah of RSS told Organiser, “It was very much clear that an atmosphere in RSS’s favour was coming up in Kannur district, especially in Payyannur area. Sangh is powerful there. Every year more and more youths are joining Sangh during the Jayakrishnan Balidan Day. Even CPM had realised that they are gradually losing their ground in that area. Formerly they used the NDF and other Islamic outfits to counter growing RSS influence. But, those forces cleverly played their cards very well and spread their influence among Muslims who used to work under either CPM or Congress banners. And, they became a threat to CPM; reminding the legendary story of blessings Mahadevji gave to Bhasmasura !

It is an undeniable fact that the root cause of CPM-RSS clash was the erosion of CPM’s rank and file. Even though the first RSS worker Vadikkal Ramakrishnan was killed by CPM men in April, 1969, the following years did not witness much serious clashes in Kannur district. But, Emergency days changed the whole political scenario. History reads that RSS and Jan Sangh led the democratic struggles against the authoritarian regime of Smt Gandhi. And, CPM kept a low profile and kept away from the struggle after the first couple of months when their leaders like AKG, etc. courted arrest. The passive stand taken by the leadership had created dissatisfaction among their dynamic youths. Naturally lot of them joined the successful underground movement of RSS and Jan Sangh. This phenomenon occurred throughout the state of Kerala. But, most powerful impact was in Kannur district which  is  still their strongest fort in the State. So, after the lifting of Emergency the party’s prestigious issue was to make sure that no more party workers leave them and join the RSS. They started killings in 1978 when they started to finish off those who left the party and joined RSS. In another words, if we analyse the list of RSS men killed by CPM killers so far, a good number of them are either former CPM workers or kith and kin of CPM men. Now, it looks like history repeats. CPM cadres are frustrated due to numerous reasons mentioned above. These are the reasons usually make the CPM leadership to unleash murder politics against Sangh Parivar. Therefore, observers believe that CPM leaders should read the writings on the wall and control their killer squads. Because, statistics speak out that in all political clashes taking place in Kerala, CPM is always a common factor. They attack not only Sangh Parivar workers but also other political parties. The conclusion is simple: The root of the political violence lies in the Stalinist tendencies CPM still sticking on to. And, this killer mania led to the murder of 75 RSS workers in a single district, that is Kannur, until now.