Yet another political murder rocks Kerala ASSAM: BJP TO CONTEST POLLS WITH ITS NEW ALLY UPPL
A Muslim League worker was killed allegedly by CPI(M) workers in Keezhattoor, Oravumpuram at Nilambur in Malappuram district.
The 26-year-old league worker identified as Muhammed Sameer was stabbed to death allegedly by a group of CPM workers on Wednesday midnight. Though Sameer was rushed to a local hospital, his life could not be saved.
The police have taken three persons into custody in connection with the incident. Besides launching a detailed probe into the murder, the cops have intensified patrolling in the area to prevent retaliatory attacks from the rival party workers.
The Muslim League has accused the CPM was trying to silence its cadre through violent means. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the CPM was resorting to terror tactics in the area.
The CPM leadership on the other hand denied the involvement of their workers in the killing. The local leaders said that the murder took place over some dispute between two groups and the party had no role in the incident.
The area had been witnessing tension between CPM and Muslim League cadre in the recent days.
Congress-led UDF of which the Muslim League is the second biggest partner, has accused the CPM of unleashing terror against their workers after the recently local body polls in the state. They feared that the CPM might scale up violence in the run up to the assembly polls and demanded arrest of assailants.
In 2020, four political murders took place within a span of 45 days during the months of September-October. The victims included three CPM workers. Another CPM worker was killed in December 2020.
According to rough estimates, over 200 persons belonging to different political parties have become victims of killer politics in Kerala since
2000. Though the frequency of political murders have come down compared to previous years, the brutal killings once in a while often reminds that the political violence in the state is far from over.
According to police records, of the 172 murders that took place in Kerala between 2000 and
2016, 85 CPM workers and
65 RSS/BJP workers lost their lives.
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The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has made it clear that it would contest the upcoming Assembly polls in alliance with its new ally, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), instead of its existing ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). The BJP fought against the BPF in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls in December despite ruling Assam together since 2016 along with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The BPF still has three ministers in the Sarbananda Sonowal government.
The senior BJP leader and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made this announcement while addressing a public meeting at Udalguri. He said, “The BJP has decided to contest forthcoming Assembly polls in coalition with UPPL.”
“We would announce seat sharing with UPPL in February,” said Sarma at the public meeting, organised to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Bodo peace accord with the Central government on January 27, 2020 in New Delhi in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah.
“It is final that the BJP and UPPL would contest the Assembly polls together. In BTC areas, BJP would contest the Assembly election under the leadership of UPPL,” said Sarma, who is also the convener of the BJPled North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) alliance of regional parties.
The BJP on Wednesday also flagged off mobile vans to seek public views on the party manifesto. Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal flagged off the mobile vans in presence of state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Sarma and Guwahati MP Queen Oja.