KOTTAYAM: CPM state committee member in Kerala K Anilkumar has set the tone for the LDF campaign in the Puthuppally bypoll through a Facebook post on Friday in which he has raised the issues pertaining to former chief minister Oommen Chandy's medical treatment and allegations of projecting the departed leader as a 'saint' by the Congress.
Addressing opposition leader V D Satheesan in the FB post, Anilkumar reminded him about the intervention made by the state government to ensure treatment for Chandy. Taking a dig at Satheesan, Anilkumar wrote sarcastically that the people of the state had witnessed the "love" of Satheesan towards Chandy. Satheesan too is responsible for creating a situation leading to the intervention of the government to ensure Chandy’s treatment, said Anilkumar.
Anilkumar also warned Satheesan not to make Puthuppally an Ayodhya by dragging places of worship into the elections which he says will only help the BJP.
The CPM had charged the Congress of trying to canonise Chandy as part of its plans to conveniently use religious imagery in electoral politics.
Reacting to the demand made by Satheesan to the religious leaders regarding canonising Chandy, Anilkumar reminds Satheesan about the High Court ruling that validated the appeal filed by M Swaraj challenging the election victory of Congress leader K Babu.
Swaraj, who was the CPM candidate from Trippunithura constituency, had accused Babu of using religious symbols during his assembly election campaign. Anilkumar makes a similar accusation saying that Chandy Oommen was heard asking a reporter to come to the church to get his reaction. Chandy was heard saying that the other channel reporters are also there in the church, says Anilkumar. Anilkumar claims that this was a serious violation of the elections rules.
