Trading charges of election law violations seems to be the go-to attack tactic of opposing fronts as the push for Lok Sabha votes gains impetus in the State.
On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the State government’s decision to withdraw cases registered against anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters in 2019.
‘Appeasing a group’
BJP State president K. Surendran accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of making political concessions to appease a particular group of people. He termed the decision an egregious violation of the ECI’s Model Code of Conduct.
In contrast, the government discriminated against another group by displaying a marked unwillingness to rescind cases registered against “Save Sabarimala” agitators during the same period. Mr. Surendran accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) of remaining muted.
Mr. Surendran said Mr. Vijayan attempted to divide the electorate on religious lines for electoral gain by campaigning against CAA implementation. “The LDF government has little else to show. So it’s playing the communal card,” he said.
Notice to Isaac
Meanwhile, the Congress moved the ECI against T.M. Thomas Isaac, the LDF’s candidate from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency. It has accused Dr. Isaac of using the expansive network of Kudumbashree workers in the constituency to canvass votes and offer inducements, including the promise of loans and employment, to sway voters. The District Election Officer (DEC) has issued Dr. Isaac a notice and stipulated a three-day deadline for a written response.
Isaac’s response
Dr. Isaac told reporters in Pathanamthitta that he would reply to the DEC’s notice in detail. He said he had yet to use the State’s poverty alleviation mission’s machinery for campaigning. Moreover, he was one of the founding members of the Kudumbashree project and had an umbilical relationship with its workers. Dr. Isaac said the Congress’s anxiousness at the LDF’s appeal in the constituency had prompted the complaint.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the LDF moved the ECI against BJP candidate and Union Minister for State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar. It accused Mr. Chandrasekhar of turning official functions and discussions into campaign venues. The BJP has denied the accusation.
