Ending Kerala culture of political killings
The murder of two Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists in Thirvuvananthapuram on the eve of Onam has underscored the brutal side of Kerala’s political culture, where ideologies are worth killing for and rivalries are often settled by spilling blood. There have been many such killings in the past and there will be more, precisely because the parties here have mastered murder as an effective political tool. At every opportunity, there will be murder, and every murder is an opportunity.
As expected, the killing of the young DYFI men has triggered a blame game with the ruling CPM pointing accusing fingers at the opposition Congress. A CPM minister has alleged the involvement of a senior Congress MP. Just a year ago, it was the CPM’s turn to stand in the dock when two Youth Congress workers were hacked to death at Periya in Kasaragod.
The fact is none of the political parties in Kerala can claim the moral high ground in the matter of using murder to settle political scores and reap electoral dividends. All are active participants and beneficiaries of this endless chain of killings, retribution and politically motivated violence.
The harsh truth is while parties use this murder-retaliation cycle to intimidate rivals and accumulate martyrs to be celebrated and paraded to gain sympathy and votes, no one really mourns the precious lives lost in this dangerous game that political bosses play using indoctrinated footsoldiers.
With local body and Assembly elections looming, the twin murders are certainly going to be part of the political discourse for some time. While it’s imperative that a fair investigation is conducted and the culprits are brought to book at the earliest, the political parties must take this as an opportunity to introspect—to see what’s wrong with their politics and the way they practice it.
Violence can only beget violence. It may suit their requirements but they must understand that the politics of murder has no place in a democracy and the people are tired of their ways. The chain must be broken, and the right time to do that is now.