Kerala chief minister, A K Antony, has made a sensational first-of-its-kind statement, accusing the 'secular' parties including his very own Congress and the CPM, of indulging in communal violence in Kerala. Making a statement on the basis of findings of inquiries into recent communal violence in his state, Mr Antony said that activists of the Congress and CPM were involved in the violence along with 'communal outfits like NDF, PDP and RSS'. Kerala witnessed communal violence in the aftermath of the US attack on Afghanistan at Pathanamthitta and Marad beach in Kozhikode, in which five persons were killed.
According to an agency report, the details released by the CM for arrests in connection with the Pathanamithitta violence break up like this: 84 of the N DF or PDP, five of Congress, three of CPM and one of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). Of the absconders in the case, 96 were from the NDF, 23 from PDP, 33 from Congress, four from CPM and 11 from its youth wing, the DYFI. The break-up for the arrests in connection with the Marad violence is: 27 of BJP, 18 of the CPM, 11 of Indian Union Muslim League and six of the Muslim outfit, the National Democratic Front.
This is the first time that a 'secular' CM has accused 'secular' outfits, not to mention his own outfit, of indulging in communal violence - a vice so far exclusively associated with the 'communal' BJP. In the context of Kerala, it may exacerbate Congress' domestic strife, apart from pouring more fat in the already intense rivalry with the CPM.
The findings of the state government
must be particularly galling to the CPM which has, at least since 1989,
styled itself, along with the intermediate caste leaders Mulayam Yadav
and Laloo Yadav and other Leftist outfits as 'uncompromisingly secular'.
It has thus rubbished Congress' own claim to be 'secular' by citing the
1992 Ayodhya demolition and other instances of compromises with 'communalism'.
This is the first time the party has been accused of doing what it has
charged others with. It will hurt more since it has come from arch rival
Antony who has, attacked the privileges of trade unions and other interests
protected by the CPM.