The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition walked out of the Assembly on Friday after raising the spectre of potential political violence in north Kerala in the run-up to the Assembly elections in April.
The Opposition boycotted the proceedings after Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan declined to allow an adjournment motion moved by Sunny Joseph of the Congress to discuss the volatile situation in Kannur district.
Mr. Joseph said Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers had openly declared that they would assassinate Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) workers in Mayyil panchayat following a tense stand-off between members of the opposing parties in the locality.
The CPI(M) had captured the threats on a mobile phone camera and posted it on social media to deter their political opponents.
Mr. Sreeramakrishnan refused to give leave to adjourn the business of the House to discuss the motion. He said the issue was too parochial for the consideration of the Assembly. Subsequently, Opposition members led by Anwar Sadat of the IUML and Eldos Kunnapally of the Congress staged a protest in the well of the House.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan offered shade and support to the party's assassins. The CPI(M) under Mr. Vijayan had repeatedly used physical elimination of opponents as a political tool to silence dissenters.
The murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T.P. Chandrasekharan was a case in point. Mr. Chennithala said the State had witnessed more than 35 political murders after Mr. Vijayan assumed office. The CPI(M) used its time in government to systematically target political opponents and systematically ensnare many in false cases. The party attempted to terrorise people in subjugation in places it had no political traction. Mr. Vijayan had lorded over criminalisation of Kerala society. He had given free rein to gold smugglers to use his office for their illegal purposes. The CPI(M) had spend crores from the public exchequer to provide legal aid to its death squads.
