Political spat in Kerala over PFI hartal

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that all forms of communalism need to be strongly opposed

A day after the Popular Front of India (PFI) hartal in Kerala caused widespread violence, the state witnessed a political spat with the opposition parties Congress, Indian Union Muslim League and the BJP accusing the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government of supporting the PFI and questioning the stand of the Left Front government.

Later, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly flayed the PFI hartal. He said at a function that all forms of communalism need to be strongly opposed as it was affecting the unity of the society. He also said that violence by two forms of communalism would be curbed and Kerala police's timely intervention helped avert certain incidents escalating to riots in Kerala. "Governments in many states used to support violence by communal outfits of their interest. But in Kerala the police was given freedom to sternly act against all forms of communalism," he said.

He also flayed the violence during the hartal called by PFI on Friday. The PFI activists went violent at many parts and unleashed attacks against buses. Attempts to destroy the peace in the state should be strongly condemned. The police would also take stringent actions, he said.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress had alleged that the anti-communal stand of the Left Front government was a farce.

Indian Union Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty alleged that the CPI(M) was supporting organisations like the PFI and its associate Social Democratic Party of India with the aim of sidelining the IUML.

BJP leader and union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said that the state police remained a mute spectators of the violence unleashed by the PFI across Kerala on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court sought a report from the government on the plans for recovering the loss caused by the damage caused in the hartal.

The police informed that so far 281 cares were registered in connection with hartal related incidents. While 1013 persons were arrested in connection with violence, 819 were held in preventive custody, the police informed.