Political violence not CPI(M)'s culture: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) today said political violence was not the culture of the party, but if there are aberrations, necessary corrections will be made.

Hitting out at the RSS, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said it has been targeting and unleashing violence on party cadres in Kerala.

"Political violence is not the culture of the CPI(M). But if our cadres...comrades are attacked, we will defend and protect our cadres," Yechury said in his inaugural address at the party state conference here.

Yechury said 577 party workers have been killed in the state over the years.

"The 577 torch marches that came to the state conference were from the 577 martyr's columns," he said.
 

"Violence will be met with self-defence. Otherwise political violence is not in our culture. Our culture is to defeat them politically," Yechury said.

"In case there are aberrations, necessary corrections will be made," he said.

Yechury's remarks come at a time when the party is on the defensive, following the opposition Congress' charge that marxist party workers were behind the slaying of Shuhaib, a youth congress worker at Mattanur in Kannur last week.

Senior congress leader K Sudhakaran and youth congress president Deen Kuriakose are on a fast for the past three days demanding immediate arrest of the "actual accused" in the case.

Chief Pinarayi Vijayan has said stringent action would be taken against the culprits.

The BJP-RSS had taken out a statewide march in October last year alleging that its workers were being attacked by the marxist party and demanded an end to the "red terror" in the state.