PALAKKAD: As silent campaign was progressing in Palakkad on Tuesday, political tension reached its peak following a controversial advertisement published by the CPM in two newspapers belonging to prominent Sunni factions.
The advertisement featured the social media posts and newspaper cuttings about Sandeep Varier, a former BJP leader who recently joined Congress, particularly focusing on his stance on minority-related issues.
The advertisement drew sharp response from Congress which accused the CPM of attempting to sow communal discord through the ad. The Congress compared it with the ‘Kafir’ screenshot controversy in the Vadakara constituency during the Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, district election officials have taken note of the issue and said they would check whether the advertisements violated the Election Commission’s rules. The officials sought clarifications from the newspapers involved and intend to convene a meeting of the media monitoring committee soon after polling. The bureau chiefs of Suprabhaatham and Siraj gave their views on the matter to the Additional District Magistrate.
The CPM, however, dismissed the row, asserting that the advertisement adhered to all existing regulations. Minister M B Rajesh defended the party’s actions stating,
“We published the advertisement after obtaining proper permissions. We gave the ad to four newspapers. So why is Congress targeting just two newspapers? Why are they labelling newspapers by religion?”
He further urged Congress to file a formal complaint to the Election Commission if they had any grievances. Sharpening his attack on Shafi Parambil, MP, Rajesh accused him of promoting communalism. “Shafi is deliberately communalising the issue. Only someone with a communal mindset would label a newspaper by religion,” he said.
CPM Palakkad district secretary E N Suresh Babu also downplayed the controversy. “The controversy is unwarranted. Even if a technical error occurred, it doesn’t justify such allegations,” he said.