The Centre on Monday warned it would initiate criminal proceedings against those involved in Sunday’s attack on the CPI(M) office here even as both the Houses of Parliament witnessed verbal duel between the Left and the BJP on the incident.

While assuring the Rajya Sabha, which had a brief adjournment on the issue, that the Centre would hold talks with Kerala government for restoration of peace in the state in the wake of political violence, Home Minister Shivraj Patil rejected BJP’s demand for action against the Left-ruled state.

His assurance came after an impromptu debate in the House on Sunday’s attack, which the Left parties alleged was engineered by the RSS and BJP and the saffron party members countered that the root cause of the incident was violence against their cadres in Kerala.

“Anybody who has committed a crime will be proceeded against,” Patil said responding to members’ concerns over the attack on the CPI(M) headquarters.

As regards Kerala, the Home Minister said while the Centre would hold talks with the state government, it was not possible for it to start an inquiry into the incidents.

In the debate in Rajya Sabha while the Left described the attack as a “grave assault on democracy” and Congress demanded a ban on RSS, the main opposition BJP accused CPM of politicising the issue.

Amidst shouts of “shame, shame” from UPA benches, Sitaram Yechury (CPM) said the incident should not be seen as mere attack on a political party, but as a “grave assault on democracy”.

Yechury alleged that 10 CPM workers were killed in Kerala recently by RSS as it was frustrated because of decline in its cadre in the state.

Demanding a statement from the Government, Yechury said the House should “outrightly condemn” this as an attack on democracy.

Rubbishing his charges, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu accused Yechury of politicising the issue and “preaching ideological sermons”.

He said what was actually happening in Kerala was contrary to what Yechury had said. “CPM cadres are deserting their party and joining BJP and RSS,” he said.

Alleging that FIRs were being registered on selective basis in connection with the attack on CPM office, Naidu demanded that complaints of the other side too should be registered, an inquiry should be ordered and an all-party delegation should visit Kerala to assess the situation.

When the Left members objected to Naidu laying more emphasis on Kerala instead of discussing Sunday’s attack on CPIM office here, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan said Kerala could be discussed only as a passing reference.

Congress member V Narayanasamy  said stones that were hurled at the CPM office were brought in a car belonging to a senior Delhi BJP leader showing that the attack was pre-planned by RSS and BJP.
“It is time the central government banned RSS,” he said, triggering a fresh bout of protest from the opposition benches.

In Lok Sabha, CPI(M) was joined by Congress in its attack on the BJP and the ensuing clash between the two sides led to pandemonium in the House.

After about 25 minutes of verbal duel, BJP members rushed into the well of the House, provoking Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to reprimand them for the action.

“It is a matter of great sadness and sorrow... One of the major parties, after speaking itself, is not allowing others to speak. I condemn it,” Chatterjee said and adjourned the House for 50 minutes.

Earlier, initiating the discussion for which notices had been given by both Left parties and BJP, CPI(M)’s Mohd Saleem said activists, who were clearly from BJP, attacked the CPI(M) headquarter and tried to enter inside.

BJP’s Deputy Leader in the House V K Malhotra said the protest staged at the CPI(M) headquarter against what happened in Kerala was intended to be “peaceful” but the Communist cadres from inside pelted stones on the demonstrators, injuring 15 of them.