Thiruvananthapuram, May 21 (IANS): With names of some Communist Party of India-Marxist activists surfacing in the murder of their former party colleague T.P. Chandrasekharan, the Congress, which heads the ruling United Democratic Front in Kerala, Monday asked the CPI-M not to get unduly agitated over the probe.
Speaking to the media here, state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala reminded the CPI-M that when the murder probe started, it had stated the truth should come out. But it was getting agitated and jittery now, he added.
"But with the probe getting into high gear and a few of the arrested including CPI-M activists, they appear to be jittery and are now blaming the investigating team," Chennithala said.
"They had raised apprehensions about the presence of K.T. Rajmohan, a high ranking official in the probe team. What they perhaps forgot is that it was the Left government (2006-11) which had recommended this official for entry into the Indian Police Service," Chennithala said.
Chandrasekharan, a 51-year-old Revolutionary Marxist Party leader, was murdered May 4 in Onchiyam in Kozhikode district, while he was returning home on a motorcycle. He had quit the CPI-M in 2008. More than a dozen people, including five CPI-M party workers, have been arrested for the murder.
"Criminalisation of politics is one aspect that has to be condemned by all. But strangely, with the arrested in the murder case including local CPI-M leaders, their party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan now says the party will rise like a fireball. After these arrests, the party's stand appears to protect the accused and this is not going to be accepted by anyone," the Congress leader said.
He also asked the state government to ensure that it was not cowed by the recent protest by CPI-M activists in Kuthuparambu.
Chennithala also slammed CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat who during his recent visit to Kannur had reportedly said that his party was not involved in the murder.
"It's strange that Karat in Delhi speaks a lot against criminalisation in politics and when he arrives here defends his party. This was amusing to many who heard him speak the way that Vijayan did on the murder."
Chennithala also welcomed the letter that Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan is reported to have sent to the party leadership.
"Incidentally, the contents of the letter uphold all what the Congress party has been saying about the CPI-M. Since aven after a day Achuthanandan has not denied about writing the letter to the national leadership, we take at face value what he has said," said Chennithala.
Achuthanandan has written a letter to Karat stating that Vijayan should be removed as the party's state secretary and also the organisational set-up in the state should be revamped.
Meanwhile, State Home Minister T. Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kannur that he has full confidence in Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose as far as the current murder probe is concerned.
"It's unfortunate that Punnoose's statements are being twisted by some quarters and is meant to derail the probe. We are confident that the probe will bring out the truth and all accused will be put behind bars," said Radhakrishnan.