Political tensions rise in Kerala following "crude bomb attack" in front of CPI(M) State headquarters

The CPI(M) has squarely blamed the Congress for the aggression

Kerala witnessed a day of rising political tensions after a yet-to-be-identified person travelling on a two-wheeler detonated a throw-down type incendiary device against the boundary wall of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State headquarters at the AKG Centre here late Thursday.

The explosion exacerbated political tensions, with the CPI(M) squarely blaming Congress for the aggression.

The repercussions of the attack also manifested in violence against Congress offices and symbols in Alappuzha and Kottayam.

Un-identified persons vandalised Indira Gandhi's statue in Alappuzha. Unknown persons threw stones at the District Congress Committee (DCC) office in Kottayam. CPI(M) workers took to the street in protest across Kerala. Scores mobbed the AKG Centre.

Congress has condemned the attack and denied any culpability. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran said the CPI(M) had orchestrated the attack to divert public attention from the scandals plaguing the government.

The attack occurred on the eve of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi MP visiting Wayanad.

Opposition leader V. D. Satheeshan said the government was on the backfoot. The administration had drawn public ire for abetting the widely condemned and wanton "Students Federation of India's (SFI) attack" on Mr. Gandhi's regional office in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. New disclosures in the UAE diplomatic baggage gold case had cast the administration in poor light.