CPM Kerala state secretary Balakrishnan faces public ire in the country, hit the headlines in Pakistan over his derogatory remarks against the Indian Army
CPM Kerala state secretary and party’s politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s recent outbursts against the nation’s army have upset the sensible patriotic souls not only in the state but also the whole country and abroad. Referring to the demand of BJP and RSS for clamping AFSPA in Kannur in the wake of the continuous killings of the functionaries of RSS, BJP and other Sangh oriented organizations in the district, he told a public meeting on May 25: “The army can do anything to the people. If four people stand together army can shoot them. They can take women and rape them; no one has the right to question it. This is the situation wherever the army goes.” He added that if army is deployed in Kannur it will lead to clashes between them and the people. He said, it happened when army was deployed in Jammu Kashmir and Nagaland. And, the women belonging to minority communities face atrocities by them.
This derogatory remarks from the former state home minister invited the wrath of people of Kerala. The BJP demanded an apology from CPM leader for maligning the image of the reputed military force of Bharat. They also called on CPM to take disciplinary actions against their senior leader for insulting the country’s patriotic forces. Even though Kerala’s Malayalam channels, which are by and large Left-oriented, reported the news in their usual mild style, the national channels took it seriously and conducted hot debates. BJP national leadership reacted sharply against Kodiyeri’s venomous remarks.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said that his party would do the needful for initiating criminal proceedings against the CPM leader. The NDA Kerala unit vice chairman Rajiv Chandrasekhar MP told the media that he would explore the possibilities of taking legal actions against Kodiyeri. He wondered how come Opposition parties accept the CPM support for a common candidate in the presidential election, when their leader insults our forces.
Kodiyeri aired his remarks a day after Defence minister Arun Jaitley stated that armed forces have been given a free hand to take decision in war-like situations. Consultations are not expected in such circumstances.
The antipathy of CPM towards the country’s forces is exposed. When the anti-nationals ruled the roost in JNU last year CPM support was for the trouble makers. Their crocodile tears are always shed for the forces who attack our valiant soldiers in Kashmir. They are never bothered about the safety of the forces, but weep for the anti-national forces in Kashmir. Irom Sharmila had met CM Pinarayi Vijayan, senior CPM eader VS Achuthanandan and Kodiyeri when she visited Kerala in March. After the meetings she told the media that they had offered their support to her fight against AFSPA. This indicates the mindset of the CPM leaders. They still are not in a mood to respect the country’s forces.
‘Trollers’ criticised and ridiculed the CPM leader for his improper statement in social media. Some went to the extent of asking Kodiyeri to be thankful to the country’s army for enjoying the freedom to criticise them; if they do not work with round-the-clock vigilance our country and his party too would have lost the freedom.
–T Satisan, Kochi
