THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KALPETTA: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Sunday that the party will take strict action if any of its members are found to have been involved in the attack on Rahul Gandhi’s office in Wayanad.
He, however, disapproved of the manner in which arrests were being made in connection with the incident, saying police should not go around picking up those who are pointed out by the Congress workers. Meanwhile, the CPM took out a massive rally at Kalpetta protesting against large-scale violence in UDF demonstrations in the wake of the MP office attack.
Condemning the attack on Rahul’s office, Kodiyeri said the incident should not have occurred at all. Such attacks will only alienate the party from the people. “CPM cadre have been asked to carry out protests only in a peaceful manner and desist from targeting offices of other parties... The party is inquiring into the incident (in Wayanad) and strict action will be taken if any CPM member is found involved,” he said.
Briefing reporters after the CPM state committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Kodiyeri praised the state government for its swift intervention in the incident. The police officer concerned was suspended for his ‘lapses’ and the entire issue was handled in an “exemplary manner.” While the attack evoked condemnation from all quarters, the in-flight attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not evoke a similar response from the UDF, he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of CPM workers, including women, took out a massive rally in Kalpetta demanding that Congress end the widespread violence it has unleashed in the wake of the attack on Rahul’s office. Addressing the rally, CPM district secretary P Gagarin said the party had already condemned the incident at Rahul’s MP office. “CPM will never endorse such an attack. Even SFI did not have any intention of an attack,” Gagarin said.
‘Congress, UDF trying to unleash reign of terror’
Gagarin said they all had a grievance that Rahul Gandhi, as an MP from Wayanad, was not taking an active role on the buffer zone issue in the district. “The SFI wanted to take out a march to his office to register its protest. But upon reaching there, some of the protesters barged into the office. It was wrong... It should not have happened,” he said.
The CPM leader accused the Congress workers of desecrating the photo of Mahatma Gandhi in the MP office and putting the blame on SFI activists. “In videos and photos taken after the SFI workers left the office, the Gandhi photo can be seen intact on the wall.
But later videos show it mangled and lying on the floor. They (the Congress) want to lift the issue to an emotional level and that’s why they did so,” he claimed. Despite both CPM and SFI condemning the attack on the MP office, Congress and UDF are trying to unleash a reign of terror, said Gagarin. The CPM will resist any attack on its cadres and offices, he said.
MLA’s personal security officer suspended
Wayanad SP Arvind Sukumar on Sunday suspended Smibin K V — the personal security officer of Kalpetta MLA T Siddique — for having obstructed the police officers on duty at the Congress’ district office during Opposition Leader V D Satheesan’s presser on Saturday.