It is obvious that a culture of political violence involving the left and right-wing forces exists in Kerala. Political killings in the state are a matter of concern. The realisation that political killings are avoidable and should not happen has not come a day too soon.
The meeting between leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh can be the first step towards restoration of peace. The all-party meet must take measures to free the state from the scourge of political violence.
Political consciousness is good for democracy and a just social order. But it should not blind us to the fact that “human identity” is far more important than “political identity”. Think of the irreparable loss of the families of slain political workers to understand the cruelty and futility of political violence. How many more children need to be orphaned in attacks over political reasons before everyone regains sanity?
Clearly, the BJP wants to be a force to reckon with in Kerala and is aspiring for expansion. But it should not go about achieving this aim by engineering political violence or whipping up communal sentiment and leading to martyrs. Most of the clashes between the CPI-M and the BJP occur over ideological differences. Both the sides should repudiate violence in this fight.
One principal mass base of the left parties in Kerala is the Ezhava community, which the BJP has been trying to wean away through religious polarisation. But the Hindutva ideology is antithetical to Sree Narayana Guru’s teaching of “one caste, one religion, one god”.
The Kerala unit of the BJP should not think it can have its way in the state just because the party is in power at the Centre. Causing the collapse of law and order in the state and then citing it as a pretext to impose President’s rule should not be on the BJP’s agenda. The BJP is saying that Kerala is being “de-Hinduised” with nothing to substantiate this charge. Playing such mischief is fraught with danger.
G David Milton Maruthancode
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