If political violence continues, Kerala will become devil's own country: Cong

New Delhi: With repeated instances of political violence between the BJP and the CPI-M in Left-ruled Kerala, Congress on Thursday asked the two parties to stop "such politics" or else the state would turn into "devil's own country".

"Kerala is known in the world as 'Gods own country' and if the situation continues like this then it will become known as 'devil's own country'," Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said.

In letters to CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and BJP chief Amit Shah, the Congress leader expressed concern over the "manifold increase" in political violence and "failure" of law and order over the last couple of months.

"Both BJP and CPM workers are in race to increase the death tally. A war-like situation is prevailing in Kannur district, wherein the both party workers started attacking each others' houses," Chennithala, a former state home minister, said.

He claimed that at present, the situation is going beyond the control of the leadership of both parties and the state machinery.

"Even the police officer in charge of the particular area has openly made statement that they are helpless in maintaining the public order and controlling the violence," he said.

Insisting there have been more than 500 cases of violence reported in Kannur in the past four months and that eight people have lost their lives, he claimed when the Congress-led

UDF was in power it managed to stop such political violence to a large extent.

"After the change in government at the state level the situation has worsened. Now saffron terror and red terror has reached its peak in the state," he claimed.

He said people of Kerala don't want such a situation to continue.

"They want law to prevail, and enduring peace in the state for stable growth and development. So I am requesting you to ask your state units to stop such kind of politics of violence," he told Shah and Yechury.