KANNUR/T’PURAM: Adding to the woes of VD Satheesan, already under attack over his alleged camaraderie with the Sangh Parivar in the past, a Kannur court on Monday issued a notice to the Leader of Opposition on a petition alleging that he defamed RSS ideologue MS Golwalkar. The Kannur Munsiff court issued the notice on an injunction suit filed by RSS Prantha Sanghchalak KK Balaram.
The court asked Satheesan to appear in person on August 12. Balaram’s petition alleged that Satheesan defamed Golwalkar by comparing the speech of former minister Saji Cherian discrediting the Indian Constitution to the writings of the RSS ideologue.
The petitioner alleged that Satheesan was spreading lies against Golwalkar’s book, ‘Bunch of Thoughts’ and asked the court to intervene and ensure that he and his followers wouldn’t repeat such allegations. Earlier in the day, Satheesan came out with a clarification on a picture that has gone viral on social media, showing him inaugurating a book launch event of Bharateeya Vichara Kendram in Thrissur in 2013.
“In fact, it was CPM veteran and the then Leader of Opposition V S Achuthanandan who launched the book ‘Swami Vivekananda and an enlightened Kerala’ by RSS ideologue, P Paramewaran in March 2013. The book release function was then replicated in other districts and I attended the Thrissur event,” he told reporters here. “If there is a controversy over my presence at the event, the same will be applicable for VS too,” he said.
Satheesan: I have never gone after any fundamentalists seeking votes
“The Kerala society has always looked upon Parameswaran as a leader beyond the RSS ideology. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had termed him as a saint on his passing. I have never gone after any fundamentalists seeking votes. I do not require the votes of RSS, Sangh Parivar or any other fundamentalists,” said Satheesan. He said late socialist leader M P Veerendra Kumar had invited him for the function.
“The RSS leadership has been holding protest marches to my house on a regular basis and they have proclaimed that they will send me to political asylum,” he said. However, Satheesan was lacking his hallmark aggression and assertion throughout the interaction with reporters.Achuthanandan’s former additional private secretary V K Sasidharan was quick to respond to Satheesan’s allegation against the former chief minister, saying VS had used the platform to criticise the RSS.
VS attended the programme with a clear intention to make an aggressive speech against the RSS, and the speech was drafted by his then press secretary K Balakrishnan, Sasidharan recalled.Interestingly, no senior Congress leader has come to the aid of Satheesan despite the controversy being raging for three days.
While state Congress president K Sudhakaran and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy opted to stay away from the entire episode, former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala levelled a veiled criticism on Satheesan saying that he would not have gone to such events.
Meanwhile, RV Babu who first posted the book release picture on his facebook page, has posted another picture of Satheesan inaugurating a seminar organised by the RSS against terrorism in 2006 at Paravur.
“He is seen lighting the lamp in front of the portrait of Guruji Golwalkar and Bharathamba,” Babu wrote on the Facebook.