This story is from August 1, 2020

Kerala: As local body poll nears, politics hots up

As the state election commission is going ahead with the proposal to hold local body election in Kerala this October, politics has also started to gain prominence along with burning social issues like Covid crisis and economic devastation. On Friday, the mouthpieces of CPM, Congress and BJP published articles that alleged unholy nexus between their opponents.
Kerala: As local body poll nears, politics hots up
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the state election commission is going ahead with the proposal to hold local body election in Kerala this October, politics has also started to gain prominence along with burning social issues like Covid crisis and economic devastation. On Friday, the mouthpieces of CPM, Congress and BJP published articles that alleged unholy nexus between their opponents.
While Deshabhimani carried an editorial page article by CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who repeated his allegation that opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala is a Sangh nominee in the Congress, BJP mouthpiece Janmabhumi published on its editorial page an article that alleged RSS link for CPM PB member S Ramachandran Pillai and former Congress CM (late) R Sankar.
Veekshanam, the mouthpiece of the Congress, devoted considerable space on page one to allege that Deshabhimani was cooking lies to defame Chennithala. Veekshanam also pointed out the Sangh connection of SRP.
“Ramesh Chennithala wears the cap of RSS better than any of its worker. Whatever BJP’s state president tells against Pinarayi government, will be repeated by Chennithala before the end of the day. Chennithala has become the Sarsanghchalak of RSS within Congress. He is the heartbeat of RSS,” Balakrishnan wrote. Last week, during a news conference, he had levelled similar allegations which was refuted by Chennithala and former CM Oommen Chandy.
Janmabhumi article dug up Pillai’s past and said he had been in charge of RSS shakha at Pullikanakku in Sreekrishnapuram panchayat near Kayamkulam during his high school days. Later, while speaking to reporters, Pillai admitted that he had been an RSS sympathizer during his school days.
He said he became a member of CPM at the age of 18 after realizing the futility of ultra-nationalism propagated by RSS. The article also said former CM R Sankar had taken pride in his Hindu identity and used to attend RSS shakha in Kollam. Sankar’s son Mohan Sankar had also worked in BJP briefly.
Balakrishnan’s allegations triggered strong reaction from Congress and BJP leaders. BJP state president K Surendran said the real nexus was between Congress and CPM. “The alliance stitched between Congress and CPM in Bengal with the blessing of high command is being extended to Kerala. Both parties moot an alliance in Kerala after sensing the growth of BJP,” he alleged.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said Kodiyeri’s attempt was to divert public attention from the scams faced by Pinarayi government. Working president and MLA VD Satheesan said the allegation was used to hide the fact that Balakrishnan is the weakest secretary CPM ever had. “He is a shadow of Vijayan and this is an attempt to tell people that he exists,” Satheesan wrote on Facebook. Youth Congress state president Shafi Parambil alleged that Balakrishnan is the Sasikala in CPM who turns to communalism when he can’t answer real questions.
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