The charged political atmosphere in Pathanamthitta, caught in an intense three-way Lok Sabha contest, has taken a curious turn with candidates from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) locking horns over campus violence.
The latest battle line emerged during a recent public debate organised by the Pathanamthitta Press Club, in which Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate T.M. Thomas Isaac and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Anto Antony actively participated, while Anil Antony, the National Democratic Alliance candidate, was notably absent.
Though the debate initially delved on topics ranging from development to farm distress, the focus eventually shifted to campus violence. Mr. Antony accused the Students Federation of India (SFI), a CPI(M)-backed student organisation, of inciting violence on college campuses. Mr. Isaac hit back at his opponent, challenging Mr. Antony to provide evidence of even one Kerala Students Union (KSU) activist killed in attack by the SFI.
Speaking to mediapersons a day later, Mr. Antony pledged to reveal a list of KSU workers allegedly slain by the SFI. However, anticipation soon turned into disappointment as he failed to produce the promised list. Instead, Mr. Anto took to social media to launch a scathing attack on the SFI and accused others of attempting to ‘whitewash’ the organisation’s violent past. “Those who try to whitewash that movement say that the SFIs did not kill anyone. The SFI in the 1970s even had a history of killing a class 10 student in a school in Alappuzha city. Francis Karipa of Thrissur was stabbed to death by a group of SFI-DYFI-CPI(M) goons in the 1980s,” read the post.
He cited incidents from the past, including violent incidents involving Sajith Lal, Govindan, Padmarajan, Suhaib, Kripesh, and Sarath Lal.
“There are thousands of KSU workers in Kerala who faced brutal attacks at the hands of SFI. Also, attacks carried out by goons from outside the colleges are unaccounted for,” it added.
Unconvinced, the LDF has demanded a simple and straight response from the sitting MP. In a video released on Monday, Mr. Isaac expressed his eagerness for Mr. Anto to fulfill his promise, questioning his silence in the face of the challenge.
“It has been a couple of days that I have been waiting for Mr. Anto to keep his word. I am keen to know why he is not coming up with a response to my challenge,” asked Mr. Isaac.
