Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 13 : Following a clash between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrashekhar alleged "brutal assault" against party workers by the police.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Chandrashekhar said that the BJP workers marched to the CPI-M's office as a response to their protest march against Union Minister Suresh Gopi.
"The clash was not between the BJP and the CPI-M workers. The CPM workers came and defaced the Union Minister's (Suresh Gopi) office. In protest, when BJP workers marched to the CPI-M office, as anyone would do with any self-respect and pride, the police launched a brutal assault on the workers," the State BJP chief said.
He added, "This is not a CPI-M assault. This is the Police on behalf of the CPI-M assaulting the BJP workers."
Further, he slammed Congress and CPI-M over the "voter fraud" allegations.
"As elections get nearer, the left, CPI-M, and Congress would like to change the topic from their last 10 years of misgovernance to some new topic. That is why both Pinnarayi and Rahul Gandhi have come forward with this dubious voter fraud allegation," Chandrashekhar said.
Earlier on Tuesday, BJP and CPI-M workers engaged in a verbal duel sloganeering against each other in Thrissur, Kerala. CPI-M workers took out a protest march towards the office of Union Minister Suresh Gopi.
Police stopped the workers a few meters away from the office. There was a signboard of the Minister's office on the roadside. CPI-M activists poured black oil on the board.
In response, the BJP took out a march towards the CPI-M district office in Thrissur. CPI-M workers gathered outside the office and tried to take out a march. Both sides started sloganeering at each other, and police intervened and stood in the middle.
According to the Thrissur city police Commissioner, a case has been registered against both CPI-M and BJP workers on charges of unlawful Assembly.
Following Rahul Gandhi's allegation about the fake voters list, both Congress and the Left Front (CPI and CPI-M) have claimed that similar issues occurred in Thrissur as well. A case pertaining to the election in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat is pending before the High Court.