Thrissur (Kerala): The 68-year-old mother of Congress legislator Anil Akkara on Friday wrote to CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury expressing her deep anguish at the way a top CPI-M Kerala leader addressed her son as Satan's son.
In her letter, the mother Lilly Antony said they were not going to lodge any case or a police complaint against CPI-M leader Baby John for his outrageous statement.
"I do not know if I should write a letter like this to a very top leader. But I am doing it because I am deeply pained when my son is called Satan's son. In fact, my husband, a farmer and a driver by profession, who passed away in 2004, and Anil Akkara belong to two different political parties. (Anil is in the Congress, while his father was a CPI-M leader here). I am deeply pained when a CPI-M leader addressed my son as Satan's son," said Lilly.
"Whatever and however much your leaders try to belittle him, he will follow his path of politics. My only request to you is please be kind enough to teach your leaders not to abuse political adversaries calling them names. Any mother would be deeply hurt, when she hears such a name. Moreover, your party is one which gives respect to women," wrote Lilly.
Akkara, who represents the Wadakkanchery Assembly constituency in Thrissur district, has been critical of the pet project of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- Life Mission, which builds homes for the landless and homeless in his constituency. The project has landed in a soup ever since it was revealed that the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh got Rs 4.25 crore as commission for bringing in a sponsor Red Crescent -- a charity organisation based in the UAE -- for this project.
The land for this housing project was given by the Vijayan government, and after the controversy erupted, Vijayan tried to wash his hands off the project. He said the government has nothing to do with it, but later Akkara came up with numerous documents thus calling Vijayan's bluff.
Since then Akkara has come under fire from the CPI-M.
At a recent public meeting, John attacked Akkara and referred to him as Satan's son who is out to destroy a project which would be a boon for the homeless.