Updated
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 6 (Agencies): Jaitley on Sunday visited the family of an RSS activist who was murdered by suspected CPI-M workers in Kerala and called it a "most brutal killing".
During the visit, Jaitley spoke with the three-year old son of Rajesh and his aged parents.
"Even an enemy country wouldn't do this kind of brutality but a political party did this," Jaitley said after meeting the distraught family members of E. Rajesh, 34, who was hacked to death a week ago.
"Rajesh had 89 wounds on his body. We will not forget this heinous act. I am here to express my solidarity on behalf of our party. The workers of Kerala are not alone, the whole nation is with you," he added.
Jaitley, who drove from the airport to Rajesh's home, met his wife, two children and other family members.
He then addressed a commemorative meeting and said there was a saga of political violence in Kerala.
"Governments are elected to do good for the people," said the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader.
"But in Kerala the ruling party is perpetrating violence on the people. This type of ideology won't crush our ideology. We have faced such violence through generations."
On a day's visit to Kerala, Jaitley was received at the airport by leaders of the BJP in the state.
Also on Sunday, the CPI-M organised a sit-in protest in front of the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor P. Sathasivam, asking Jaitley to also visit the families of its cadres allegedly killed by BJP and RSS workers.
Anavoor Nagappan, the Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary of the CPI-M, told the media that those on protest included 21 family members of their activists killed in the state from 1980.
"Jaitley should not just restrict his visit to just the RSS worker's home. All these people who are sitting here have lost their near and dear ones to BJP and RSS workers," he said.
Those who joined the protest included state CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and LDF Convenor Vaikom Viswam.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called a meeting of leaders of political parties in Kerala to discuss ways to maintain peace.
Jaitley's visit is widely seen as an attempt by the BJP to bring to national focus the issue of alleged increasing attacks on party cadres by the CPI-M.
State BJP leaders, including president Kummanam Rajasekharan, accompanied the Union Finance minister.
They explained to Jaitely the concern expressed by family members, including the widow of 34-year old Rajesh, who was hacked to death on July 29 by a gang led by an alleged history-sheeter here.
The BJP has alleged that CPI-M activists were behind the gruesome murder, a charge denied by the ruling party.
BJP members recently raised the issue of political violence in the state in Parliament alleging that "Kerala has become a killing field."
Earlier, Jaitley arrived here by a special aircraft for an on-the-spot account of the political situation.
He was also likely to submit a report to the Central government, party sources said.
His visit comes in the backdrop of RSS leadership even favoring imposition of President's Rule in the state on the ground that law and order situation had collapsed under the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan.
Jaitley is also slated to visit some of the BJP workers whose houses were attacked allegedly by CPI-M here in recent days.
State Governor P Sathasivam had on July 30 summoned Chief Minister Vijayan and state police chief Loknath Behra to ascertain the action taken in the backdrop of the murder of Rajesh and other violent incidents. They had apprised him of the arrests made in the murder case.
The CPI-M alleged that RSS-BJP was spreading a false propaganda on political violence.
To counter the BJP, the CPI-M today organised a dharna of relatives of 21 party workers allegedly killed by RSS-BJP activists in the district and also demanded Jaitely visit them also.
CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that political violence had increased in the state after the visit of BJP President Amit Shah in early June.
The BJP was implementing "Amit Shah's plan" in the state by allegedly attacking party strongholds, Balakrishnan charged.
Incidentally, the Chief Minister has convened an all- party meeting this evening.
The state had been witnessing a cycle of violence involving BJP-RSS and CPI-M workers with the capital district rocked by incidents of attacks on houses of rival party men.