RSS workers clash with CPM comrades

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New Delhi: On Sunday morning alleged RSS workers clashed with CPM comrades at the party office when the three-day Central Committee was going on.

Cars belonging to senior leaders including that of Sitaram Yechury were damaged, and some workers have also sustained injuries.

In a show of solidarity, senior Congress leaders visited the CPI(M) headquarters here and condemned the violence unleashed allegedly by RSS cadres there.

"We condemn the attack in the strongest possible term. The party demands that stern action be taken against whoever is guilty," AICC media department chairman Veerappa Moily

said.

Reacting to the protest by Hindu Mahasabha activists outside CPI-M headquarters here, which resulted in a clash, CPI MP D Raja said violence and intolerance can't be allowed in a democracy and accused the BJP leadership of settling scores in a violent way.

The police have confirmed the RSS's involvement in the incident, and the CPM also named Jagdish Mukhi, a senior BJP leader, and Delhi's Mayor Aarti Mehra for being involved in the attack.

Reaching the CPI (M) headquarters hours after the violence, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit met Politburo member Sitaram Yechury and assured him that if Delhi BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi was involved in the incident, the issue would be taken up in the coming Assembly session.

Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Congress General Secretary Ambika Soni and V Narainsamy also visited the CPI(M) office. "This incident proves that these communal forces can only stab us at the back and not confront us with real political issues,” says Tourism & Culture Minister, Ambika Soni.

Party General Secretary Prakash Karat said UNPA leaders, who are meeting in Jaipur, rang him up and condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the CPI(M).

CPI secretary D Raja, who is in Bhubaneswar, spoke to Karat and Yechury on phone and condemned the incident.

CPM Politburo Member, Sitaram Yechury says, "The people have been identified, FIRs have been filed, we were in the meeting inside but when the stoning began our comrades were outside Jagdish Mukhi and Aarti Mehra have been identified it is up to them they have filed the FIRs."

The attack is being seen as retaliation for the killing of four RSS and BJP activists in Kannur by CPM workers. One of those victims, a BJP activist, was hacked to death at Kerala Home Minister K Balakrishnan's village, and one CPM activist has also died in the violence.

CPM Central Committee Member, M A Baby says, "It is the RSS that is carrying out systematic attacks in the state of Kerala. If we were to retaliate in every instance, there would be continuous bloodshed in the state of Kerala. It is true that comrades had to defend themselves and so there have been casualties on the other side also."

It appears the clashes that have been going on in Kerala over the last one-week between the two groups have now spilled over into Delhi, when the CPM and activists allegedly from the RSS clashed with each other a short while back.

RSS Spokesperson, Ram Madhav says, "Our cadres are being killed in Kerala, the Marxist govt is harassing RSS workers. We have told the govt to take appropriate action but they have failed we have protested in a democratic way yesterday and today also, we wont allow this Marxist invasion it will have serious consequences."

With PTI inputs

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