Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the attacks on two Congress party offices in the district and said strict action will be taken against the culprits.
Stones were pelted at the Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee office and the Anavoor mandalam committee office was set on fire last night.
While declining to comment on who he thought was behind the two incidents, Chennithala said the police will investigate and find out the culprits.
"The police is investigating the matter by going through the CCTV footages to identify the culprits. There will be strong action against the attackers, whosoever they may be," he told reporters outside the Thiruvananthapuram DCC office.
The minister also said that while everyone has the right to protest, if it becomes violent, police will take action accordingly.
He was replying to reporters' queries whether the attacks and the black flags being shown to the CM, himself and other ministers by Yuva Morcha activists were related.
Conveying his strong protest over the attacks, Chennithala further said that he does not know what was the intention behind them, "but it cannot be allowed in a democratic system".
He also said that party offices are never attacked anywhere in Keralam as "that is not our culture".
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief and state Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph also condemned the attacks.
After visiting the Thiruvananthapuram DCC office Joseph demanded strong police action against the culprits.
He told reporters that it was not an isolated incident as following arguments over the blocking of state Sports Minister O J Janeesh's vehicle by Yuva Morcha activists, "BJP criminals" allegedly threatened the District Committee secretary at his house.
"They also threatened local Congress leaders at other places in the Neyyatinkara area," he claimed.
He further alleged that the attacks were carried out with the encouragement and support of the BJP leadership in Keralam.
"We will not allow the BJP's politics of violence in the state. Congress workers and the people will raise strong protest against the same," he said.
He claimed that it should be seen as a continuation of the black flag protests by the Yuva Morcha against the CM and ministers.
"This is a politics of goondaism," he alleged.
He said that such attacks were being carried out to divert attention from the nationwide protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar by the opposition parties.
At the Anavoor mandalam committee office, a local party leader said that witnesses saw a BJP activist pouring something on the posters of Chief Minister V D Satheesan and late former CM Oommen Chandy on the office compound wall and setting it on fire.
"Due to the locals intervention, the fire did not spread to the office, but the posters were destroyed," he told a TV channel.
Yuva Morcha activists have been showing black flags and blocking the vehicles of the CM and other ministers ever since Youth Congress workers waved black flags at Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he was in Keralam recently.
The BJP and Yuva Morcha have termed the incident as a breach in Shah's security and have demanded action against those involved.
They have also warned that their black flag protests will continue till action is taken in the matter.
