'Kerala Chief Secy's article on Maoists his personal view'

After being cornered on the floor of the Kerala Assembly by the Congress-led opposition on Tuesday over the way Chief Secretary Tom Jose defended the act of the killing of four Maoists in the forests at Palakkad, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that it was Jose's personal view.

Jose's article appeared in a leading English daily where he said that in the state now "It is like war: Kill or be killed".

After repeated demands from the opposition, Vijayan said he cannot comment on something that he has not seen.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala again raised the issue and Vijayan said those were the personal views of the Chief Secretary.

"He did not have the prior permission to write the article and it's his personal view. But irrespective of what has been written, the ongoing probe into the incident will go forward," said Vijayan.

The ruling Left Front's second biggest ally Communist Party of India (CPI) was also in the forefront of slamming Jose for his article.

Jose wrote that there is no justification in the argument that the Maoists who walk around with automatic weapons and spread the politics of hatred against the establishment are "our brethren".IANS