THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the remarks by senior CPM leader MM Mani against RMPI leader KK Rema kicked up a political row in the state, the ruling party leadership tried to downplay it. The issue kicked up a war of words outside the assembly too.
On Friday, the Opposition UDF stepped up its attack on Mani, seeking his apology. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan tried to evade the issue, saying there was nothing unparliamentary in the remarks and that the party had not discussed the matter. However, a section of CPI leaders openly expressed their resentment over Mani’s remarks.
Mounting a major attack on Mani and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Opposition leader V D Satheesan said it was Pinarayi’s “party court” that had pronounced the death penalty verdict against T P Chandrasekharan. Pinarayi has been justifying the attack against Rema, he added. A slew of other senior Congress leaders too lashed out at the remarks.
Speaking to the media, Rema said she expected either the speaker or the chief Minister to disown the remarks. “The people who made me a widow are now unleashing such an attack against me. What message do they seek to give society?” she asked. Meanwhile, Mani reiterated that there was nothing wrong in his remarks. Speaking on Friday, Mani said, “I was just responding to her in the house. Those who cannot tolerate such criticism should not come to the assembly. Even the chief minister has said there’s nothing wrong in what Mani said,” he pointed out. He added that he has no regret in making the remarks.
The CPM leadership, however, remained more or less non-committal in the matter. Speaking after the party secretariat meeting on Friday, Kodiyeri referred to it as a development within the assembly and that it was for the speaker to take a decision,” said Kodiyeri. He also attributed the remarks to Mani’s style of speaking.
CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran echoed the same opinion saying that what had occurred happened inside the assembly. Both the ruling and Opposition fronts have made similar remarks in the past in the assembly, he pointed out. However, CPI woman leader Annie Raja and Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam expressed resentment. Senior CPI leader Annie Raja said she wholly disagrees with the manner in which a personal tragedy was used to win a political debate. “It’s highly condemnable,” she said.
Viral video
A video is now doing the rounds on social media in which CPI legislator E K Vijayan, who was in the speaker’s chair when Mani made the controversial remarks, was heard saying that those remarks shouldn’t have been made.