Threatening the vulnerable when in power is the clearest sign of exploitation – a craft Communists and Congress parties have mastered over the decades in Kerala. Their unwritten rule is simple: if you are an active or silent supporter of the party, you enjoy privileges; if not, you suffer until you bow to supremacy.
A shocking example of this emerged on 10 September 2025, when 88-year-old Mariyakkutty, a known BJP supporter, was allegedly denied ration by a local dealer. The incident has sparked outrage as it appears to be a revenge act against a frail woman whose only fault was her open support for the BJP after leaving the Congress party.
However, upon learning of this shocking development, the Suresh Gopi Fans and Welfare Association, Idukki District Committee, stepped in and supplied the necessary items to support Mariyakkutty after she faced the ban.
Mariyakkutty is no stranger to public struggle. In November 2023, she had captured headlines through her “begging bowl agitation” in Adimali Town, protesting the inordinate delay in welfare pension disbursal. Carrying an earthen pot, alongside 80-year-old Annamma Ouseph, she drew attention to the plight of the elderly poor. The protest became symbolic, not only because of their advanced age but also because it revealed the indifference of the Left-led government.
As per reports, when she walked into ration shop ARD 117 on 10 September 2025, she was reportedly told by the shopkeeper to ‘go to BJP man’s shop’ for her ration. The insult, according to Mariyakkutty, was a direct political attack. The link to BJP support is clear: actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi had financially supported her during the 2023 agitation, and she had formally joined the BJP in May 2025 at a programme in Thodupuzha Town.
Her active role in the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign against CPM-led LDF candidates made her a visible face of grassroots resistance. With her protest partner Annamma Ouseph passing away in September 2025, Mariyakkutty continues to stand firm.
Mariyakkutty has now lodged a complaint with the District Collector and Supply Officer over the ration denial. While the ration shopkeeper has denied the allegation, claiming he never directed her to a BJP shop, the episode exposes the vindictive mindset of non-BJP strongmen who use essential services as tools of punishment.
Kerala is infamously known for controlling villages and all kinds of schemes through its party machinery, while deliberately keeping distance from anti-Communists. Still, the Communists continue to run the system with an iron fist, and time and again, issues emerge where BJP supporters are made to suffer.
Most recently, the Kerala Police filed a case against Army personnel and villagers who came with Pookkalam depicting Operation Sindoor — a selective approach that once again exposes how the state machinery targets certain people.
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