BJP protests against Kerala killings
Workers of the Delhi unit of the BJP on Sunday protested against the alleged killing of fellow party workers in Kerala last week by activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The demonstration was held outside the headquarters of the CPI(M) at Gole Market. A large number of BJP members protested against the alleged murder that happened after results of the Assembly elections in the State were announced on Thursday.
Leaders detained
The BJP said that the protesters managed to break two police cordons, before sitting on a dharna near a third barricade on Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg. The police had to use water cannons to disperse the protesters, and many, including senior Delhi BJP leaders, were detained and taken to the Mandir Marg police station.
Before that, however, a minor scuffle broke out as workers of the BJP and the CPI(M) clashed after the former damaged some signboards outside the latter’s office. The police managed to separate the two groups and no one was injured.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said that about 600 people had been detained.
While addressing the crowd, BJP national vice-president Shyam Jaju condemned the “political violence” seen in States such as Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura, where the Left has a presence. He said that non-Communist Members of Parliament should visit the areas affected by inter-party clashes in Kerala to assess the tension first-hand.
The fact that “self-proclaimed champions of human rights” in the Opposition, including the Congress, were silent on the matter indicated their “connivance”, said Mr. Jaju.
‘RSS workers lynched’
Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay alleged that 200 RSS workers had been lynched by Communist cadres in Kerala in the past 25 years.
“In the last few weeks of the election campaign in Kerala, there were several attacks on RSS and BJP workers. And, after the CPI(M)’s victory, it has become worse. Two of our workers were killed and many had their shops looted,” said Mr. Upadhyay.
Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said that the Left should realise that the BJP was in power at the Centre and that “party workers will not take attacks on our brothers by marginalised political forces lying down”.
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