I&B minister Smriti Irani slams Kerala government for attacks on RSS workers

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani on Thursday said it is very evident that the CPM-led Kerala government is not taking effective action to curb violence on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers as it is politically beneficial for the party.

"It is a shame that law and order has completely broken down in the state," the minister said while responding on the issue of killing of RSS workers in Kerala, an issue that BJP leaders are raising in a big way.

A series of clashes between CPM and BJP-RSS activists had rocked Thiruvanathauram last week, which culminated in the killing of Rajesh, a 34-year-old RSS activist in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. On Saturday, Rajesh was on his way home after attending an RSS meeting, when he was attacked by a group. Rajesh later died following which the BJP called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Sunday.


BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said the state and district leaders of CPM indulge in open exhortations of violence and many in the police are behave like CPM party cadre.

"More than 80 of our swaysevaks and BJP workers were physically attacked. People are living in constant fear. Even the Sri Krishna Jayanthi processions were attacked at Kakkayangad. CPM leaders stood at the front to see that the Shobayatras across the district gets vandalised."

Meanwhile, the Kerala government has decided to call an all-party meet on Sunday and also hold several districtlevel bilateral meetings between the CPM and the BJP/RSS before Sunday. Yadav, however, said such out-reach efforts of the CPM government cannot be trusted.

"These are people who commit murders blatantly. There have been 17 murders in the last 17 months." RSS for over two years has been running a campaign to bring to the light the killings and in February had organised protests in over 150 places across the country.

Union minister Arun Jaitley will visit the house of slain Rajesh on August 6. Jaitley would also visit the houses of BJP ward councillors, who were attacked allegedly by CPM activists in various parts of Thiruvanathapuram last week, a BJP statement said on Thursday.