The Kerala CM said it has almost become a force of habit for KPCC president Ramachandran to link every murder in the State to the Chief Minister

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday slammed Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran for repeatedly "insinuating" that the CM was somehow responsible for the "distressing" murder of two Congress workers in Periya in Kasargode last Sunday.

Mr. Vijayan digressed briefly from his press conference on the achievements of 1000 days of his government to condemn the killings and reiterated the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was not responsible for the heinous crime.

Mr. Vijayan said it has almost become a force of habit for Mr. Ramachandran to link every murder in the State to the Chief Minister.

Mr. Vijayan asked whether any mainstream political party worth its salt would commit such follies when involved in major pre-election campaigns like the "Kerala Samrakshana Yatra", conducted by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"We have suffered much pain in silence. We have seen our party men killed and suppressed our sorrow. Such a party cannot promote violence", he said.

Mr. Vijayan said the CPM countered violence against its cadres by mustering the people and drumming up public opinion against the aggressors. "We would not do anything that alienates the people from the party," he said.

Mr. Vijayan strongly condemned the killings that have energised the Opposition against the government in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

For one, the Kerala Youth Congress (KYC) has stated that it would hold a protest march from Kasargode to the CPM State headquarters at AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram with the ashes of the slain KYC workers Kripesh and Sarath Lal.

Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala made a high-profile call on Governor P. Sadasivam to make a representation against what he termed as CPM-sponsored political killings in North Kerala. Mr. Chennithala told newspersons that the Governor appeared "very disturbed" and had promised to seek a report from the government immediately.