Satheesan accuses pro-CPI(M) group of creating divisive 'kafir' post
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Palakkad: Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan has claimed that a pro-CPI(M) group was responsible for the controversial 'kafir' social media post that aimed to divide voters during the April 26 Lok Sabha polls in Vadakara, Kerala.
“This is the way the CPI(M) works and their objective was to mislead the voters at the April 26 Lok Sabha polls at Vadakara constituency. Through this post they just wanted to divide the voters and they thought they could capitalise on it by putting the blame on the Congress. But things did not work that way as the people saw through this heinous act of the CPI(M),” said Satheesan.
The post had created huge ruckus at the peak of the Lok Sabha poll campaign at Vadakara which saw veteran party legislator and former state Health Minister KK Shailaja taking on young Congress legislator Shafi Parambil, a former Youth Congress President. The controversial post was said to be the work of the Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) - the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (the second-biggest ally of the Congress-led UDF).
The post that was attributed to the MSF District Secretary, P Muhammed Khasim read, "Shafi is a pious young man who offers namaz five times a day and the other is a non-Muslim kafir (infidel) female candidate. Who should we vote for... let us think...” The CPI(M)-led Left took up the issue in a big way during the election campaigns, but after a detailed probe the police submitted a report in the High Court that gave a clean chit to Khasim.
“Police know that this is the work of top CPI(M) leaders, but their hands are tied. But, we the Congress-led UDF will not lie low, we will take this case to its logical conclusion. With the police report now filed, it is clear that the CPI(M) was behind it. We will continue our legal work and bring out who was behind this criminal act, all for a few votes,” said Satheesan.
There were two Facebook posts and two on WhatsApp which became a point of heated debate between the CPI(M) and Opposition groups during the poll campaign. The Youth Congress in Kerala had filed a complaint with the police chief against top CPI(M) leader and former legislator, KK Lathika, for sharing the controversial post on social media.
The Vadakara election witnessed a fiery poll battle in Kerala with tempers running high between the CPI(M) and UDF cadres and eventually Parambil won with a commanding margin of over 1.10 lakh votes.
Source: IANS