‘It is time to put a full stop to political violence in Kerala’
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Condemning the political killings in north Kerala, vice-president Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday asked parties to sort out issues ideologically and appealed to people to isolate perpetrators of violence.
“It is natural to have differences. But you should sort them out through discussions and debates. We can sort them out ideologically, not through violent means,” Naidu told a gathering at a book release in Kozhikode, without naming any party.
Kannur in north Kerala is notorious for recurring politically revengeful killings and clashes between activists of the Left and saffron outfits. Naidu’s comments come in the backdrop of the murder of a Youth Congress activist M Shuhaib in Mattanoor. He was allegedly attacked by a group of CPI(M) workers on Monday, weeks after the student wings of the two outfits clashed.
The vice-president, who released a book written by BJP leader PS Sreedharan Pillai, observed that violence and development cannot go together and parties should take initiatives to end bloodshed. “Violence is no answer to any problem. It will destroy the social fabric and affects development. It is time to put a full stop to violence in the state,” he said, appealing people to isolate forces that perpetrate violence. Meanwhile, Shuhaib’s father sought a CBI probe into his son’s murder.