Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its government in Kerala led by Pinarayi Vijayan have stepped up its political offensive against Islamic radical organisations operating in the state.

The CPI (M) state leadership has decided to identify leaders in the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and its affiliates who sponsor Islamic radical groups including and seek their support.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police was directed to take firm action against SDPI and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists who allegedly plotted the killing of tribal student and Student Federation of India leader Abimanyu.

Abimanyu, 19, was brutally killed inside Maharaja's College campus in Ernakulam on July 2.

The CPI (M) launched a political campaign in 200 centres across the state against the SDPI and its terror tactics. The campaign is followed by house visits alerting families to keep vigil against PFI and its terror designs.

The PFI and its wings such as National Women's Front and Campus Front of India are notorious for using terror to spread their social messages.

"The SDPI is affiliated to the PFI and is a terror outfit engaged in divisive tactics and is a threat to Kerala's secular society. We will fight them politically," CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told India Today.

Earlier Elamaram Kareem, Rajya Sabha member and central committee member of the CPI (M), had listed out the brutal killings engineered by PFI and its affiliated organizations.

In his article titled "PFI -- an enemy of Muslims", Kareem alleged that PFI had killed 39 persons between 1995 and 2018, including nine RSS workers in Marad, Kozhikode.

The CPI (M) offensive against PFI and its affiliated organisations have shaken the radical groups in Kerala which thrived on government's patronage in the past.

Kerala's ruling governments had taken a lenient view of PFI due to vote bank politics.

"The CPI (M) offensive against PFI is a bit late in the day. It is hypocritical as the CPI (M) colluded with the PFI in Malappuram district to defeat Indian Union Muslim League," MK Muneer of IUML told India Today.

However, a senior CPI (M) leader told India Today that the party has always taken a firm stand against PFI and its affiliates from the very beginning. "They [PFI] has infiltrated all parties with a mission and executed their agendas. Now we are scrutinising their presence in our party at various levels and have warned all party members that their association with radical sponsors will be monitored and treated as an anti-party activity," the CPI (M) leader said.

PFI has been operating in the state by sponsoring criminal mafia and had infiltrated into various political parties including CPI (M), Congress and IUML for political cover.

The brutal killing of Abimanyu inside a college campus exposed their operation channel.

Kerala Police has detained around 500 people involved in various criminal activities after the murder and raided around 400 premises. The raids and arrests revealed that the radical groups under the shelter of SDPI were involved in money laundering, hawala operations, real estate mafia and blackmail.

The CPI (M) offensive against PFI-affiliated organisations is going to put them in serious problem; PFI has offered to give up a few people involved in the Abimanyu murder and is negotiating for truce.

"So far the police have not responded to their offer and are planning to arrest the main culprits who carried out the murder," a senior police officer in Kochi told India Today.