Date:13/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/13/stories/2009011353940400.htm

Kerala

CPI(M), BJP disrupting peace: Chandy

Special Correspondent

Alleges attempts to revive political violence in Kannur district

Calls for a re-think on hartal as means of protest
Says there is no proposal to expand the UDF

Oommen Chandy says the government should take the initiative to end the culture of violence.

THALASSERY: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being competitive in their bid to create an atmosphere of violence in Kannur.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Mr. Chandy said that it was deplorable that the ruling CPI(M) was on the one side of the activities that were disrupting peace in the district.

He said that the BJP’s stand that violence should be encountered with violence was not acceptable.

It was painful that political violence in the district was being revived for which he held the CPI(M) and the BJP equally responsible, the Opposition leader said.

Stating that no party could continue in power without ensuring rule of law, Mr. Chandy said that the CPI(M) should also stop its attacks on the police and police stations. The CPI(M) itself would regret such acts in future, he added.

Attributing the developmental backwardness of the district to the incidents of political violence over the past 35 years, he said atmosphere of peace was the source of development.

The government should take the initiative to end this culture of violence and isolate those who perpetrated violence, he urged.

Referring to the hartal being observed in the district in response to a hartal call by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) to protest against attack on its worker near Mahe on Sunday night, Mr. Chandy said that the political parties should re-examine the use of hartal as a means of protest.

‘Shun hartals’

The parties should abstain from the hartals that would cause inconvenience to the public, he said adding that at present a situation existed in the State that allowed anyone to call for hartal anywhere anytime at short notice.

To a question on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mr. Chandy said that there was no proposal now for expanding the United Democratic Front.

To another question, he said that it was very difficult to react to the acts of the Left Democratic Front government as it was not hesitant to go to any extent to serve its interests.

Mr. Chandy reached here to inaugurate the State conference of the Kerala Municipal Corporation Staff Association on Monday.

In his inaugural speech, he said that grama sabhas were failing to serve their purposes as the ruling party was using them to serve its interests.

The failure of the grama sabhas had affected the functioning of the local bodies, he said adding that Kerala was the only State where decentralisation had totally failed.

Congress leaders G. Karthikeyan and K. Sudhakaran; association State secretary P.S.M. Sadique; and Indian National Trade Union Congress State president R. Chandrashekharan were among those who were present.