THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Being pushed to the wall by branding them as fascists, the BJP is trying to turn the tables on its critics, mainly the Congress, by bringing the victims of Emergency to inaugurate the election committee office of BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan at Vattiyoorkkavu constituency on Wednesday.
By bringing the Emergency victims to inaugurate the office at Peroorkkada, the party is planning to revive the memory of Emergency to corner K Muraleedharan, son of the late K Karunakaran, the former chief minister who had been the symbol of state terror and intolerance during the Emergency period. It was in the wake of the High Court’s adverse remarks against Karunakaran for his role in the custodial torture and death of P Rajan, a Regional Engineering College student, that Karunakaran had to resign as chief minister. By raking up the memories of the Emergency, the BJP was planning to make everyone aware who the real fascists were, Kummanam said. It was in the Sasthamangalam camp that was opened during the Emergency period that hundreds of RSS and Leftist workers were tortured under the watchful eyes of Crime Branch DIG Jayaram Padickal.
In fact, a large number of RSS workers had been arrested for organising an agitation against Indira Gandhi for butchering democracy. “Raising a protest slogans or waving black flags had invited the wrath of the state. Thousands of workers of democratic agitations had been arrested and jailed for several months across the country. Now everyone talks about fascism and intolerance. Let people realise these facts,” Kummanam said.