Kannur fallout: CPM headquarters attacked by RSS workers

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) The A K Gopalan Bhawan, the national CPI(M) headquarters here, was today attacked by RSS workers in retaliation for the bloody clashes between the workers of two political outfits in Kerala over the week.

Twelve persons owing allegiance to the RSS and the BJP have been detained for the attack on the CPM headquarters, police said.

Delhi police PRO Rajan Bhagat told UNI, "we have no more information than detention of 12 persons owing allegience to the RSS and the BJP. However, they have not yet been identified.

We have not registered any FIR against anybody".

A group of people broke into the CPI(M) premises this morning and indulged in stoning and rampage. They also damaged the car of CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri.

The CPM Polit Bureau said the attack was a handiwork of the BJP-RSS combine and was''planned''.

Talking to reporters, Mr Yechuri accused the police of inaction.

''Though there were some indications that such an incident could take place, police failed to prevent it,'' he said.

Mr Yechuri said, ''the attack was characteristic of the RSS.'' Senior party leaders like Subhashini Ali have strongly protested the attack.

The attack, which took place when the Central Committee meeting was in progress, left four members of the Committee injured, the party said.

''The attackers brought stones along with them and damaged the office building and vehicles parked outside. This unprovoked violence should be condemned by all political parties and such attacks can have no place in our politics,'' the party Polit Bureau said.

In a statement issued after the incident, the Polit Bureau demanded immediate arrest of culprits and said the police present did not do much to control the situation.

The RSS attack is seen as a fallout of the recent violence in Kannur in Kerala. The CPM claims that the attack was carried out by RSS-BJP workers. There has been a series of clashes between workers of the RSS and CPI(M) in Kannur during the past one week.

Seven people were killed in Kannur, a CPM stronghold. The political rivlary with RSS has a history of turning violent.

Delhi police denied the reports in a section of media that an FIR was registered against senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi and Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra for leading the RSS workers in the attack on the CPM headquarters.

Senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Veerappa Moily visited the CPM headquarter AK Gopalan Bhawan.

The Congress denounced the attack on the CPI(M) headquarters the RSS activists, saying that it was "quite atrocious." AICC General Secretary Veerappa Moily told UNI that the CPM office was attacked without any provocation.

"I have visited the spot along with my party colleagues Ambika Soni, B K Hariprasad and V Narayanaswamy. We have found that there was no provocation for such a violent incident," Mr Moily said, while pointing out that the attack was "pre-planned and deliberate." He added that the Delhi police should act firmly against those who were responsible for attack.

According to sources, five injured CPM workers were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. They have all been relieved after first aid except CPM central committee member Jogender Sharma.

Police also said they were unaware about an attempt by the RSS workers to enter the CPM headquarters previous evening.

Reports from Thiruvananthapuram said heavy security has been provided to the CPI(M) and the BJP/RSS offices across Kerala in the wake of the alleged attack on CPI(M) headquarter.

Police personnel were deployed at the AKG centre, the CPI(M) State headquarters, and the RSS office here, police sources said.

Security had been tightened on the orders of State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, they said.

The Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the CPI(M), staged a protest march to the BJP office here.

A report from Kottayam said CPI(M) activists staged a demonstration at the Collectorate in protest against the attack on AKG Bhavan.

The West Bengal CPI(M) condemned the unprovoked attack on the party headquarters by RSS workers and asked the cadres to bring out protest rallies all across the state.

Left Front Chairman and CPI(M) State Committee Secretary Biman Bose in a message condemning the dastardly act said, ''The unprovoked attack by the RSS supporters on the national headquarters is also an attack on democracy.'' ''I urge the party supporters and workers to bring out rallies to protest the attack, but at the same time maintain peace. I also ask them not to get provoked by such acts,'' he added.

A number of political leaders and organisations, including, the two Left outfits Communist Party of India(CPI) and the All India Forward Bloc condemned the attack and expressed full solidarity with the party in countering the ''fascist'' act.

As the news of the attack spread out, RJD member Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party chief and Chairman of UNPA Mulayam Singh Yadav, UNPA leader and Telugu Desam chief Chandra Babu Naidu called up CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri and expressed their full support to the party in its fight against the attackers.

Mr Lalu Prasad was likely to hold a press conference to express his views on the whole issue.

In a statement here, CPI said, ''The attack on CPI-M has once again made it clear that the Sangh Parivar uses fascist measures to meet the challenges of its opponents.'' In place of winning support on the basis of its ideology and politics, the RSS-BJP had been organising ''terrorist like'' attack on the Left cadres, and a number of Left cadres had been killed in such attacks, the CPI alleged.

''It has once again exposed the ugly fascist face of the Sangh Parivar,'' General Secretary of the Bloc Debabrata Biswas said in a statement.

In a democratic set-up, attacking political partry leaders and destruction of party properties could not be justified at any cost.

Mr Biswas said the clash between CPI(M) and RSS in Kerala was a local issue and the state government was capable of handling it.

The party demanded that the government should take stringent action against those involved in vandalism.

UNI TEAM KK KN1809