The United Democratic Front (UDF), which had been riding high on its thumping victory in the Thrikkakara byelection, was put on the backfoot on Monday with the emergence of an audio clip of a purported phone conversation between senior Kerala Congress leader and UDF secretary Johny Nelloor and A.H. Hafees, a leader of the Kerala Congress (M), a constituent of the Left Democratic Front.
During the conversation, the Kerala Congress leader was heard demanding the chairmanship of any State corporation and a State car as the preconditions for switching over to the Left front. During the conversation, Mr. Nelloor claimed that the BJP had already offered him chairmanship of the minority commission or any of the boards, including the Coffee or Spices Board. He, however, was least interested in joining the saffron party, he claimed.
Meanwhile, another audio clip that surfaced later in the day suggested that the proposed deal did not fructify with Mr. Hafees informing Mr. Nelloor that he would never call the leader again.
Fabricated clip
Responding to the media later, Mr. Nelloor accused the LDF cyber goons of hatching a conspiracy to divert attention from their shocking defeat in Thrikkakara. “That’s a totally fabricated clip. Stern legal action will be initiated against those behind it,” he said.
Meanwhile, KC(M) State general secretary Stephen George clarified that that the party had no connections with the episode. “The KC(M) has not assigned Mr. Hafees to communicate its official matters or attend channel discussions,” he said.
