Kerala’s Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday came down heavily on the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), political wing of Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), describing it as an organisation that was training people to commit murder.
“There are certain organisations in our State that train people to commit murder. The SDPI is one among them. Their aim is not to indulge in political work but to teach people how to kill,” Pinarayi told the State Assembly while replying to a notice for adjournment motion on the recent murder of a Muslim league activist allegedly by SDPI activists at Velam near Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district.
Stating that political enmity was the reason behind the killing of the Muslim league worker, Pinarayi said that two SDPI activists had already been arrested in connection with the crime. There would be a detailed investigation to find out whether the murder was pre-planned, adding that the influence of the SDPI was goring in Kerala.
Despite being a political party, the SDPI is seen as an Islamist organisation mainly because of its connection with the Popular Front. Almost all the accused in the gruesome attack on TJ Joseph, a professor, in July, 2010 in which his right hand was chopped off for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad, were SDPI activists.
“Stringent action will be taken against such forces. Necessary instructions have already been given (to the police) to ensure that such incidents (like the Muslim league man’s murder) does not occur again,” the Chief Minister assured the Assembly, adding that action would be taken after inquiries if there was any failure on the part of the police.”
While taking part in the discussion over the notice for the adjournment motion on the Muslim league man’s murder at Velam, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala agreed with Pinarayi on almost all points he had used to describe the SDPI but charged the Chief Minister and the CPI(M)-led ruling lDF with adopting a soft approach towards the Islamist outfit. Stating that the RSS and SDPI were two sides of the same coin, Chennithala alleged that the lDF was able to score a huge victory in the last Assembly election by appeasing communal organisations. “This is why the accused in murder cases are said to be getting good treatment in police stations,” Chennithala said.
Moving the notice for the adjournment motion, Parakkal Abdullah, Muslim league member from Kuttiyadi, said the SDPI was acting like a recruiting agent of the ISIS and alleged that there was an unholy relationship between the police and that outfit in the Velam area where the murder was committed.
The MlA wanted a special investigation team to probe the case of the Muslim league man’s murder. The CM said the Government would consider the demand seriously. Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan refused leave for the motion after the Chief Minister’s reply following which the Opposition staged a walkout in the House.
