The Hindu : Kerala News : Marad: LDF finds fault with Antony Government's actions

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Thursday, Oct 26, 2006
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Marad: LDF finds fault with Antony Government's actions

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ruling LDF members found fault with the former Antony Government's actions for the Marad massacre, particularly its inexplicable delay in booking the accused in the first Marad incident that occurred a year earlier.

Participating in the Assembly debate under Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly on the Marad Commission Report, the members also targeted at the Indian Union Muslim League by pinning the blame on some of its leaders for their involvement in the Marad episode. The Assembly witnessed verbal clashes between the CPI (M) and the IUML members over references about the involvement of the local leadership of the IUML. At one point of time, the CPI (M) member P. Jayarajan's adverse remark against the former Chief Minister A. K. Antony also led to heated exchanges, prompting Speaker K. Radhakrishnan to caution members to observe restrain in the larger interests of communal peace and amity. The LDF also inducted K. T. Jaleel and P. M. A. Salam of the Indian National League to torment the IUML and the UDF.

Charge against UDF

Mr. Jayarajan, who was the first to speak from the ruling bench, said the second Marad killings occurred because of the Antony Government's delay in booking the accused. The Government also ignored the intelligence report about the possibilities of retaliation. He put the blame solely on Mr. Antony as the head of the Government. He quoted the letter of the then DCC president V. K. Veerankutty to bring out the lapses of the Antony Government. He quoted the Marad Commission's reference to the involvement of IUML leader Mayin Haji.

The CPI member N. Anirudhan said Indian society had to pay a high price for allowing communal forces to intervene in politics.

Political parties should be prepared to accept the Commission's recommendations on this issue. He maintained that Mr. Antony was responsible for the Marad killing and there was no justification for the delay in processing the cases related to the first killings.

Communalism

The CPI(M) member A. Premnath alleged that communalism was mixed with politics in the Marad issue. Mr. Kadanappally Ramachandran, senior leader of the Congress (S), felt that the Antony Government had given in to the Sangh parivar in certain respects.

He wanted a probe into the conspiracy angle and how weapons were amassed despite police presence.

He also pointed out to the differences that prevailed in the UDF at that time over the way the Government handled the issue.

The Kerala Congress (J) MLA Surendran Pillai said that the UDF Government and the district administration had failed miserably in preventing the Marad killings.

Mr. Jaleel said that it was unfortunate that the UDF Government did not bring the first Marad killings and the circumstances that forced the exodus of people belonging to the Muslim community within the purview of the Marad Commission's terms of reference.

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