Why BJP Has Raised the Pitch on Political Violence in Kerala's Northern Districts

They are infamously called the Killing Fields of Kannur.

In this northern district of Kerala, cadres occasionally settle political scores by cold-bloodedly hacking down their rivals with curved Malabar machetes right in front of their family or friends.

Sometimes a mindless orgy of violence can last for days. The main players in this episodic blood-letting are the Marxists and the RSS-BJP. The CPM has a strong base in the Malabar region and the saffron party is desperately trying to gain a toehold.

In the run-up to its national council in neighbouring Kozhikode, the BJP has been raising the pitch on the political attacks in Kannur.

A team of party MP's headed by Bhupendra Yadav visted the state recently and called for an impartial probe into the political murders. And at the national council, party president Amit Shah accused the state government of "giving patronage" to those who attacked Sangh workers.

But is there really a surge in the number of political deaths in Kannur since the Left Democratic Front government led by Pinarayi Vijayan came to power? And is that the reason why the BJP scaled up the issue at the national level?

"In the CPM strongholds if someone joins our party they are being attacked. It has happened many times and most of the time we do not get justice from the state government," says former BJP state president V Muraleedharan who alleges the main problem is that the Marxists don't let others function in their strongholds.

But figures since 1991 show that of the 104 political deaths reported in Kannur, 42 victims belonged to CPM and 41 were from BJP-RSS.

Most political analysts too aver that both sides are equally responsible for the violence. Behind the BJP national leadership's increasing focus on this region is the realisaton that if the party has to make dramatic strides in Kerala it has to take on the CPM directly.

That is because in Kerala the CPM is essentially the Hindu party, with a strong base among the Ezhavas whom the BJP seeks to woo. The other reason is that the Congress is down because of internal bickering and this is the prefect opportunity to take some of the opposition space.

"The BJP is trying to play victim and trying to portray CPM as the one who supports violence. Before 2014 the BJP had not utilised this politically .But now they are trying to use this opportunity and target the vote base of the CPM," says political analyst J Prabash.

This heightened campaign has created a dilemma for the CPM state leadership which wants to have a good working relationship with the PMO.

As RSS-BJP ramp up their campaign in the red bastions, the CPM cannot be seen as compromising on aggro. Besides making the right political noises, they also have to make the right tactical moves - like, as per the quiet admission of a state committee member, giving the education ministry to a member of the majority community to blunt the Sangh campaign that the portfolio is always in the hands of Christians or Muslims.

Recently CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had courted controversy by saying at a public funtion: "Anyone who comes to attack us should not go back in the same shape. For that we should give physical training to our youngsters.

The BJP and the Congress saw it as an open call for violence. Political analysts say that even when BJP tries to play victim they are comfortably forgetting the fact that CPM workers are also being attacked and murdered.

Last month a BJP-RSS worker, died in an explosion at his own house. Police say he was was handling explosives; either making country bombs or transporting them.

While BJP leaders claim it's the increasing popularity of the party that is provoking red cadres, the CPM alleges rising tensions are because the BJP is attempting polarising tactics.

"They are trying to create their space in Kerala... For BJP to grow they need to create communal tension and the party sees CPM as its obstacle," says A N Shamseer, MLA and CPM's Kannur District committee member.

Political analysts like K A Antony holds both parties responsible for the violence.

"Since CPM is in power here the BJP is trying to create and impression among the people that their cadre are not safe. It's trying to make more inroads in the state by next election," Antony says.

Congress state president V M Sudheeran says, "Both parties are equally responsible for the politics of violence. As far as Kerala is concerned both CPM and BJP are a threat to the peaceful way of life of the people."

In recent times police have carried out several raids and seized steel bombs and swords. But heightened action by law enforcement agencies alone cannot, as recent times have shown, end the culture of violence in Kannur.

As the BJP continues to hack away at one of the last remaining red bastions in the country the political battles are likely to get increasingly bloodier.