THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Having wriggled out of the E P Jayarajan fiasco, a determined Pinarayi Vijayan is now all set to put an end to the political violence in Kannur. The Chief Minister and state police chief Loknath Behra will meet various stakeholders on Sunday, aiming to bring lasting peace in the region.
Being in power, the CPM cannot afford to have more bloodshed in its stronghold. On the other hand, the BJP, which called for talks just before the polls, maintained their pro-talk stance without any conditions. But deep down their conscience, both the parties know that talks alone cannot bring peace to this politically sensitive region. They admit that peace will prevail only if all the political parties have the freedom to work across the district.
“The CPM is always open to talks, but we don’t have any illusions,” said senior leader and CPM politburo member M A Baby. “By resorting to continued violence, the BJP and RSS are looking at a strategy that they have carried out in Gujarat and some other parts of the country. They want to create an impression of total lawlessness in the state,” he said.
Senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan has a counter. “At the talks, they will nod their heads. But after the talks, they will again resort to violence when they come across BJP activities in the area. What’s needed is a democratic scenario where peaceful party work should be ensured,” Muraleedharan said. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan urged BJP top brass to approach the government for talks. “If BJP is ready for talks they should approach the CM. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had once suggested conciliatory talks. But there was no follow up from their side,” said Kodiyeri. He said the government was willing to discuss BJP’s complaints, if the party has any, about specific villages in the district. BJP state chief Kummanam Rajasekharan put the ball in government’s court. “It’s for the CM to take the initiative and call for talks. The government can hold talks with the affected parties and sort out the issues,” Kummanam said.