Neyyattinkara (Ker): Mounting an attack on the CPI(M), Defence Minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony on Wednesday said the party still had `Stalinists` which was the reason for recurrence of political murders in the state.
"Unfortunately Stalin is still a role model for a section in the CPI(M) in Kerala. They follow him (the Soviet dictator) as their model in the organisational functioning", Antony, here to campaign for the Congress candidate in the June 2 assembly by-poll from Neyyattinakara, told reporters.
"Stalin`s ideals have been discarded world over. But here a section in the party still practises them and this is what leads to political murders", he asserted.
He was referring to the recent murder of Marxist rebel and RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district. Several CPI(M) activists have been arrested in connection with the case putting the party on the defensive.
Antony said Chandrasekharan`s killing was the latest in a series of political murders which shook the conscience of Kerala society.
"Let this be the last such murder and the CPI(M) cadre as well as people as a whole should take the by-poll as an opportunity to register their protest against the politics of violence", he said.
On the outburst of CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan against the "official" leadership of the party, Antony said, "only time will prove if VS will stand by his words".
PTI
