Criminal cases against Congress leaders for Covid protocol violation

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police have registered criminal cases against several Congress workers for having violated the Covid protocols during the "Aiswaraya Kerala Yatra" led by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. Kannur District Congress Committee President Satheeshan Pacheni has been charged under the Covid protocol violation case and Epidemic case. Talipparambu and Sreekandapuram police have filed the cases.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala commenced the Aiswarya Kerala Yatra from Kasargod in the northernmost part of the state on January 31 and the police have filed cases against Congress workers that no Covid protocol was in place during the yatra.

Ramesh Chennithala while speaking to media persons at Wayanad said that the cases against Congress leaders were due to political vendetta. He said that the Kerala ministers and the Chief Minister are violating all the Covid norms and meeting people while opposition leaders are being targeted.

The Congress leadership has in the meanwhile taken up the Sabarimala issue during the Aiswarya Kerala Yatra. Chennithala said that the state government had insulted the Sabarimala devotees and added that the affidavit given by the previous UDF government under Oommen Chandy was not for allowing women between the age group of 10 and 50 into the hill shrine.

Chennithala said "Both the CPM and the BJP do not have any love for the devotees and are against the Sabarimala temple. The CPM government under Pinarayi Vijayan had given an affidavit in the Supreme Court allowing entry to women in the menstrual age into Sabarimala which was against the customs and rituals of the hill temple. The BJP does not have any love for the temple and all the agitations they had conducted was for the sake of a few votes. They could have easily brought in an amendment to the law and the issue could have been settled but they are not sincere in the matter."

Meanwhile, AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Tariq Anwar has said that the people of the state are against the CPM and the LDF and the huge public participation in the "Aiswarya Kerala Yatra" of Ramesh Chennithala is a clear indicator of that fact.