The government should order a probe into the death of P.K. Kunhanandan, the CPI(M) leader convicted in the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T.P. Chandrasekharan, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran has said.
He was speaking to media persons in Alappuzha on Saturday.
Mr. Sudhakaran alleged that Kunhanandan was poisoned to death in prison. “The mystery behind his death should be cleared. It has been reported that he had threatened to reveal the details about the murder of Chandrasekharan. CPI (M) leaders feared that Kunhanandan would unravel the truth and details regarding the murder case. The government should conduct a reinvestigation by an independent agency into his death,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
Kunhanandan, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the Chandrashekharan murder case, died at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram while undergoing treatment for a stomach infection in June 2020.
The KPCC president also demanded a free and fair investigation into the murder of the CPI (M) Koyilandy town central local committee secretary P.V. Sathyanathan.
“The CPI (M) has always encouraged murder politics. It is in the party’s blood. The CPI (M) has killed opponents and own members alike. It has killed 78 people in Kannur alone. After committing murders they would blame it on opponents. The CPI (M) always planned and committed murders to divert attention from political controversies,” he said.
Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan demanded a detailed probe into the larger conspiracy behind the murder of Chandrasekharan. “With the Kerala High Court verdict, the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case has been reopened. High-profile figures were involved in the conspiracy to murder Chandrasekharan. It is the right time to investigate the wider conspiracy,” Mr. Satheesan said.
On the reported rift between the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) over seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Satheesan said that both parties would discuss the matter on Sunday. “The talks with all other United Democratic Front constituents except IUML have been completed. Both the Congress and IUML will sit down for talks to finalise the seat sharing,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that like the BJP at the Centre, the CPI (M) in Kerala was trying to polarise society on communal lines. The CPI (M) is targeting certain sections for political mileage, he said.
The Leader of the Opposition termed the face-to-face programme of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan a “stage-managed show”. No questions that ruffle the government are allowed in the programme, he said.
Mr. Satheesan said the Congress would continue to support the ongoing protest against mineral sand-mining at Thottappally.
