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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Congress demands Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan should attend Kannur ‘peace meets’
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Congress demands Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan should attend Kannur ‘peace meets’

The demand was put forth by Congress after a much anticipated peace meet in Kannur, following the recent murder of Congress worker Shuhaib, ended in a ruckus

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/MintPremium
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Bengaluru: The Kerala Congress on Wednesday demanded that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan be present in high-level peace talks to end political violence in Kannur, otherwise they would not attend future meetings.

The demand was put forth by senior Congress leaders, including K.C. Joseph, after a much anticipated peace meet in Kannur on Wednesday, following the recent murder of Congress worker Shuhaib, ended in a ruckus.

Shuhaib was killed by a gang of four linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, according to a police report filed on Monday, triggering a series of opposition protests against the ruling CPM government.

The Wednesday meet was held to discuss how to pave ways for peace in politically sensitive Kannur district, a region plagued with violent political clashes between workers of the CPM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), over more than four decades. Such peace meets are organised after every killing in Kannur.

As soon as the meeting began, Congress leader Satheeshan Pacheni criticized the presence of K.K. Ragesh, CPM leader and Rajya Sabha member, on the dais, leading to a war of words between Pacheni and CPM Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan, reported regional news channels.

The Congress leaders then asked for CPM’s elected representatives to be present on the dais, a demand denied by law minister A.K. Balan, who chaired the meeting, saying it is a meeting of party workers and not elected representatives, said reports. The Congress leaders then staged a walkout and boycotted the meeting.

Incidentally, elected representatives from both parties have attended peace meets in Kannur in the past. CPM legislators from Kannur were missing from the meet this time, apparently because of the party’s state conference in Thrissur district that begins on Thursday.

“It was an eyewash. We will not attend further peace meets unless it is called by the CM," said Joseph.

The meet was supposed to discuss the alleged lapses in police investigation with regard to the murder of Shuhaib. The Congress claims that the CPM is shielding the real killers of Shuhaib and presenting innocent party workers as culprits to the police. Highlighting this charge, Congress leader K. Sudhakaran started a 48-hour-long fast in Kannur on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, coming out of the meeting, Balan told reporters that if the Congress is unsatisfied with the state police probe, the government is willing to task the probe to any agency of their choice.

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Published: 21 Feb 2018, 02:57 PM IST
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