KOCHI: The battle for AAP-Twenty20 votes in the Thrikkakara bypoll was the talking point on Monday, a day after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal addressed a massive rally in Kizhakkambalam to announce his party’s tie-up with the corporate-backed political outfit.
It all began when Kunnathunadu MLA P V Sreenijan put up a Facebook post mocking Twenty20 chief coordinator Sabu Jacob’s statement that the CPM MLA should apologise before seeking the votes of Twenty20 supporters. “If anyone has a map of Kunnamkulam, please give it. It’s for someone,” Sreenijan posted, referring to the demand for ‘map’, which means ‘apology’ in Malayalam.
Sabu responded by saying he doesn’t have the map of Kunnamkulam, but he has one of Thrikkakara, which will be revealed on May 31, the election date. In the 2021 assembly polls, Twenty20 candidate Terry Thomas came fourth with 13,700 votes in Thrikkakara, just behind BJP’s T S Saji, who polled 15,483 votes.
Sreenijan’s post came when the Left leaders were seen wooing Twenty20 supporters. CPM state secretariat member M Swaraj said the welfare ideas mooted by the AAP-Twenty20 combo were nothing but the Left motto. Sreenijan, ostensibly under pressure from CPM leaders, deleted the post.
This is not the first time he put the party in such a position. Earlier, the Kunnathunadu MLA had embarrassed CPM by declaring his support for K S Arunkumar, thinking the CITU leader was the party’s candidate for Thrikkakara. He deleted the Facebook post before CPM announced the candidature of Dr Jo Joseph.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve rejected Sreenijan’s statement saying anyone saying anything was not CPM’s stand on an issue. He told reporters that Dr Jo Joseph would receive the support and backing of all sections of society, including Twenty20.
Post. Delete. Repeat
Sreenijan’s FB post mocking Twenty20’s Sabu Jacob came when Left leaders were seen wooing the outfit’s supporters. Sreenijan deleted the post. Earlier, he had embarrassed CPM by declaring support for K S Arunkumar, thinking he was the party’s candidate for Thrikkakara. Sreenijan deleted that post too.