A file photo of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Photo: Mint
Bengaluru: Kerala’s opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday hit out against the ruling communist government, alleging that the state has become a paradise for murders under chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, after his motion to discuss the recent spate of political murders and a case of mob violence against a tribal youth were turned down in the assembly for a third consecutive day.
“Anybody can kill anyone here, can throw bombs at anyone and a mob can lynch any person,” Chennithala said while addressing the media after the opposition walked out of the house, reported the website of regional newspaper Mathrubhumi on Wednesday.
In protest, the Congress-led opposition stalled the house, as it did in the last three days. Recently, a worker of opposition Congress’, Shuhaib, was killed in Kannur district, where the police have arrested five workers of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). In an unrelated incident, another opposition ally Indian Union Muslim League’s worker, Safeer, was killed in Palakkad district, in which the police suspects the hand of the ruling party, Communist Party of India.
In another shocking incident, last week saw a 27-year-old mentally challenged tribal youth, Madhu, lynched to death by a mob of men in Palakkad district’s Attappady, who accused him of stealing food.
On Wednesday, Chennithala moved a motion in the house to discuss the alleged law and order failures in Kerala, but, similar to the last two days, the speaker Sree Ramakrishnan rejected it, as per regional news website Manorama News. The opposition also reiterated its demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation into the Shuhaib murder case, which the government outrightly rejected.
Later, opposition member N. Shamsudheen moved an adjournment motion to discuss the lynching episode, which was also rejected by the speaker after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his reply, condemned the incident.
The opposition then staged a walk-out, alleging bias by the speaker. On Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party president in Kerala Kummanam Rajashekaran also staged a one-day hunger strike, alleging law and order failure in the state.
