CPM 'irresponsible' in blaming Hindutva forces for attack on Coimbatore office, says BJP

BJP in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday joined issue with Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the party’s ‘irresponsible statements’ of blaming Hindutva forces – BJP and RSS – for petrol bombs being hurled at its district party office in Coimbatore recently. “The incident of hurling a bomb at the CPM office, for that matter any party office, is condemnable. But CPM has blamed Hindutva forces, BJP and RSS without proof. It is not in good taste… the party should have reacted in a responsible manner,” BJP state general secretary, Vanathi Srinivasan, said. [caption id=“attachment_1726739” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Agencies[/caption] She recalled that during the DMK regime, petrol bombs were hurled at the BJP Headquarters in Chennai and even now many demonstrations are held in front of that office. On 17 June, some unidentified persons had hurled a petrol bomb at the CPM office in Coimbatore, drawing strong condemnation from opposition parties in the state. None were injured in the incident, but a car parked there was partially damaged. CPM had blamed ‘Hindutva’ activists for the attack and claimed it was a “continuation” of the recent attempt to attack party general secretary Sitaram Yechury in Delhi. Vanathi lauded the Tamil Nadu government for passing the GST Bill and said minister of state for commerce and industry, Nirmala Seetharaman, would be on a three-day visit to the state to highlight various advantages of GST, particularly among traders and industrialists. Nirmala would have an interactive session in the city on 22 June where she would respond to queries and clear doubts, Vanathi said. The minister would go to the textile hub of Tirupur where textile associations will facilitate her that evening. The next day, Nirmala will go to Tiruchirapalli, where she will have an interaction with all stakeholders. Vanathi also welcomed the presidential candidate announced by NDA and appealed to all political parties in Tamil Nadu to extend support to him.