Kerala: Controversy sparks as State CPM candidate’s propaganda vehicle displays arms

Reports from Chelathoor, Thrissur district, suggest that arms had been found from the propaganda vehicle of K Radhakrishnan, Kerala State Minister and CPM/Left Front candidate in the Alathoor parliament constituency. The CPM version is interesting; they say they are the tools for dismantling the propaganda materials. The arms were reportedly removed from the vehicle at Chelakkara during the road show. The visuals of taking out the arms from the vehicles were telecast by Janam TV, a Malayalam news channel.

The startling incident took place on April 24 evening. It was one of the vehicles of CPM candidate K Radhakrishnan’s convoy, which was returning from Kottikkalaasham, the colourful culmination of the public election campaign. It is a red vehicle. Reports suggest that the vehicle is registered in Chittoor, Palakkad. As soon as the incident drew the general public’s attention, the men put their arms back into the vehicle. It took place near the residence of the candidate, K Radhakrishnan. The visuals are taken from CCTV footage of a nearby house in Thenoorkkara. Chelakkara Police has asked the party workers seen in the CCTV visuals to report at the police station.

BJP and Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders and workers have attacked CPM in sharp terms in connection with the arms traffic. C Krishnakumar, BJP State general secretary and BJP/NDA candidate in Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency, told the media that CPM is gearing up for violence. He remembered a similar incident that took place in 2019 during the election campaign march of CPM candidate M B Rajesh.

Sitting Congress MP and the candidate in Alathoor constituency told the media persons that the incident was a pre-planned design to sabotage the peaceful elections. She also alleged that when the convicts of T P Chandrasekharan murder complained about some inconveniences in the jail, a State Minister rushed to the jail and did the needful to redress their grievances. T P Chandrasekharan, a rebel CPM leader, was brutally murdered on May 4, 2012. The accused and convicts are CPM senior workers.

K Radhakrishna, the Minister for Dewaswom affairs, was in the news for a bad reason during the Sabarimala season a couple of years ago. First of all, he did not fold his hands as he was standing before the sanctum sanctorum when it was opened for the annual pilgrimage. And he justified his stand, saying that he lives in his own style. Not only that, but he disrespected theertha, the holy water, which the pandit poured into his hand in the traditional style. He rubbed it in his hands as if it was sanitiser. Those days, he had invited the wrath of Ayyappa devotees. All devotees consume the theertha in the most devotional style.

The arms traffic at the eve of the polls is alarming. A CPM man died near Panoor, Kannur district, on April 5, in a blast during bomb-making. Two other party men are badly injured and hospitalised. BJP and UDF had alleged at that time that the bomb-making was to sabotage the election process by unleashing violence. CPM, as usual, disowned party links; their state secretary came out with a laugh-provoking explanation: ‘The DYFI men were injured when they went to the spot for life saving mission’.

Therefore, the peace-loving people and the political observers see this arms traffic as a bad sign in view of the election in less than 40 hours.