THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition has decided to up its ante against the chief minister’s controversial interview. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has challenged the CM and asked him whether he is ready to file a case against the PR agency if the newspaper has written something he did not say. Speaking to reporters at Kattakada here, Satheesan said the political decay in the CPM is paving the way for LDF’s political disintegration.
The controversy surrounding Pinarayi’s statement on gold smuggling and hawala transactions in Malappuram has relegated to the backstage ever since the role of the PR firm in ensuring the interview to a newspaper hogged headlines. It has backfired badly for Pinarayi and the CMO much to their displeasure.
The UDF and the Congress leadership have cashed in on the advantage where senior IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty has been vociferous against Pinarayi’s Malappuram comment. He maintained that there was no point in blaming the PR agency and the fault lies with the CM.
He told reporters in Malappuram that Pinarayi’s interview cannot be seen as a mistake. Expressing concern over controversial remarks against Malappuram, Kunhalikutty also urged the CM to respond to the controversy and come out with clarifications.
Satheesan took potshots against Pinarayi citing that whatever he has been saying matches the political narrative set up by the Sangh Parivar at the national level.
Congress Working Committee leader Ramesh Chennithala also cast aspersions against the PR agency citing that they play a crucial role in Maharashtra for the BJP front.