BJP leaders meet governor of Kerala to stop 'Left violence'

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by the party's Kerala unit president Kummanom Rajasekharan on Tuesday met governor P Sathasivam to seek help in putting paid to the "political killings" of its cadre and sympathisers by the Left government.

The delegation sought steps to stop the attacks on RSS-BJP workers and activists allegedly by the ruling CPI(M) workers. The RSS and the BJP have long claimed that the killings of its cadre, especially in Kannur district, the constituency of the chief minister, are politically motivated. The Left has maintained that RSS has been carrying out violence upon its cadre.

Rajasekharan said the party had decided to approach the governor as it was "useless" to appeal to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "No purpose would be served" if a complaint is lodged with the CM, he said after meeting the governor.

He said 15 BJP-RSS cadres had been killed in attacks since the LDF came to power in 2016. He added that his party had extended full cooperation to maintain peace during a conference convened by the CM earlier, but the ruling party had continued with its attacks on BJP-RSS cadres.