Kasaragod: The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has become a social problem in Kerala, and the CPM leadership must step in and disband the organisation, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said in Kasaragod on Friday. On Thursday, he alleged that SFI workers attacked members of the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), the Congress's student wing, after the elections at Kerala University. “Even female students were not spared,” Satheesan said.

In the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, a group of SFI activists allegedly consumed all the food prepared by the Ernakulam Bar Association for its annual celebration, and then verbally harassed women present at the venue. They forcibly entered the premises and created a disturbance, leading to a violent clash. More than 10 people, including lawyers — some of them leaders of the pro-CPM Lawyers’ Union — were hospitalised.
“What happened in Ernakulam was not a political clash; it was sheer rowdyism. What kind of anti-social organisation is the SFI?” Satheesan asked.

He further alleged that SFI members are consistently found involved in narcotics-related cases across campuses — from Thiruvananthapuram University College to Kalamassery Polytechnic. “They are linked to every kind of anti-social activity — from the murder of a student at Pookode Veterinary University to the horrific incident in Kottayam where a nursing student was slashed with a compass and Fevicol poured into the wounds,” he said.

“The CPM has given SFI a free hand, and now the outfit has become a crucial node in the state’s drug network.” By offering political protection, the CPM is pushing an entire generation into criminality, the Congress leader said. “The party must pull back from this destructive path and tell its student leaders not to destroy their lives,” he added.

‘Double standards’ on liquor policy
Satheesan criticised the LDF government’s revised liquor policy, which exempts three-star and above hotels —especially those catering to tourists — from dry day restrictions on the first of every month if they coincide with special occasions.
“The Chief Minister who once thundered about a strong fight against drugs has now cleared a cabinet decision to serve liquor on the first of every month. What hypocrisy is this?” Satheesan said. “The Excise Minister now says toddy and Jawan rum will both be promoted.”

RSS and rewriting history
The Congress's local leadership will respond strongly to the Palakkad municipality’s move to name a civic building after an RSS leader, Satheesan said.

“This is happening everywhere— including Ahmedabad. In Ahmedabad, Savarkar’s prison cell receives more protection than Gandhi’s memorial,” he said.

He accused the Sangh Parivar of trying to rewrite history by glorifying those who betrayed the freedom movement. “They honour the ones who stabbed the freedom struggle in the back. This fascist organisation must be resisted by all,” he said.

However, he criticised the CPM for “whitewashing” the Sangh Parivar. “Calling them neither fascist nor neo-fascist is an attempt to clean up their image. That’s not acceptable.”

Congress reorganisation
On the question of internal reorganisation, Satheesan said the Congress's national leadership would take appropriate decisions at the right time. “We request the media not to decide the UDF candidate in Nilambur or the KPCC president on our behalf. At least that much discretion should be left to us,” he added, taking a dig at the persistent media speculation.