“Our workers were attacked and around 15 activists were injured when stones were pelted on them from inside the Marxist party office,” said BJP leader V K Malhotra. “We condemn the murder culture of the CPM. They have done it in Nandigram and have been doing it for several years in Kerala,” he said.

RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav spoke on similar lines. “When our members were peacefully demonstrating outside the Marxist party office, Marxist elements displayed their fascist violent attitude like in Nandigram and Kannur,” he said.

Madhav said that in the last five days “Marxist goonda elements” have been resorting to “barbarous violence” in Kannur, killing five BJP-RSS activists and seriously injuring dozens of workers.

“The RSS cannot be cowed down by violence. We will take it head-on. We only want to ask the Kerala government to take immediate steps to restore peace. Don’t expect us to take it lying down,” he said.

BOX: They knew, says VS, points finger at BJP leaders

KOCHI: Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said it was no coincidence that the CPM office in Delhi was stoned the day after BJP vice-president Venkaiah Naidu declared his party’s intentions in Kochi. On Saturday, Naidu had said it would look “very pathetic” if the BJP decided to do in its strongholds what the CPM was doing to the BJP-RSS in Kannur. The CM alleged that the BJP national leadership was in full know of the “attack” plans.