Kerala: Arun Jaitley visits family of murdered RSS activist, CPI (M) workers stage protest

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Thiruvananthapuram, August 6, 2017 (PTI): A week after the murder of RSS activist Rajesh Edvakode, Union Minister Arun Jaitley visited his house and met his family members in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. The Union Minister is also scheduled to meet the houses of BJP ward councilors, which were allegedly attacked by CPI (M) workers in the past few days.

Addressing a gathering in the city, Jaitley said: “Visited the family of our deceased karyakarta Rajesh, who was slaughtered in the most barbaric manner. This kind of violence will neither suppress ideology in Kerala nor it will be able to scare our workers. It will only increase their determination to work harder against those who are perpetuating this operation.”

“He belonged to the weaker section of the society. . Rajesh belonged to a poor family and now his family has no means of a livelihood. He was stabbed mercilessly and there were 70-80 wounds inflicted on his body, even enemies would not be as brutal as those involved in the murder. In the past few months party officers are being attacked, our workers are being attacked and their houses are being set ablaze,” Jaitley added.

Jaitley’s one-day visit to Kerala comes in the backdrop of increasing incidents of political violence between CPI (M) and BJP-RSS activists that had rocked the state last week. The tension was further aggravated after RSS activist Rajesh was brutally hacked to death. The BJP had alleged that CPI (M) activists were behind the murder, a charge that was vehemently denied by the ruling party.

Ahead of the Union Minister’s visit to the state, CPI (M) members and their families staged protests outside the Raj Bhavan over the increasing number of attacks on the party workers. Accusing him of ‘selective concern,’ the relatives of 21 persons, killed in political attacks over a period of time, began a ‘Satyagarha’ and demanded that the Finance Minister should pay them a visit too. A K Remya, President of Eranholi Grama panchayat in Kannur had written a letter to Jaitley asking him to visit his husband who is undergoing treatment since the past one month following an attack allegedly by RSS cadres.

Annavoor Nagappan, Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary of CPI(M), which is organising the demonstration said the RSS and the BJP were indulging in “false propaganda” that the Marxist party heading the ruling LDF was indulging in violence. He had also written an open letter to Jaitley on the alleged ‘double standards’ of the BJP on the issue of attacks and denied any involvement in Rajesh’s murder.

Post Rajesh’s murder, Rajnath Singh had called Chief Minister Pinnarayi Vijayan and voiced concerns over the law and order situation in the state. Governor P Sathasivam had summoned Vijayan and the state police chief to take stock of the situation. Later, the top brass of the ruling party and the BJP-RSS met on Saturday to discuss the measures to promote peace in the state. Both parties decided that within the next ten days they will instruct all their party cadres and supporters not to involve themselves in any violent activity.

Arun Jaitley’s visit also coincides with the all party meeting called by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday to ease out the political tensions in the state.