V-Guard chief Kochouseph offers Rs 5 lakh to Kerala woman for opposing LDF stir
Thiruvananthapuram: Leading industrialist and philanthropist Kochouseph Chittilappilly on Friday announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to Ms Sandhya, the housewife who single-handedly took on top LDF leaders for making her and others in her neighbourhood suffer in the name of laying a siege to Cliff House, the official residence of CM Oommen Chandy in Thiruvananthapuram.
“This is a small gift from me for her courage to stand up to the leaders who are instrumental in blocking the public road near her house. I hope this will encourage others also to speak out against hartals and agitations that violate basic human rights like the right to travel,” Chittilappilly told DC on the sidelines of TiEcon 2013 in Kochi.
Sandhya’s rage at LDF leaders motivated her neighbours on Friday to take out a march demanding right of way. It also led to the LDF obliging to leave a part of the road for two-wheeler riders and small cars. Police also made necessary arrangements so that people living near the Cliff House have road access.
“It’s not about the amount, but I am touched by Mr Chittlappilly’s gesture of calling me. He is a great man who donated his organ (kidney). He told me this morning that what I did was a bold act and that it would be an inspiration for the general public,” Sandhya, who became a celebrity overnight, told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sandhya engages in a heated argument with LDF leaders over the hardships being faced by the neighbourhood due to the party's siege at Kerala CM's official residence, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday. -DC/Anand Shinde
“I have not yet decided whether to receive the cash reward or not. Even if I accept the reward, it would be utilised only for any common causes of society,” she added.
She also dismissed the LDF’s suggestions that she is a Congress woman. “I have no politics and there was no political motive as well. I found my road blocked and it was an instant reaction.”
Recalling his own campaign against ‘nokkukooli’ (the practice of headload workers collecting money without doing the work), Mr Chittilappilly said this woman’s courage could shake up the conscience of society and lead to a mass agitation against such human right violations.
Sandhya’s outburst against LDF leaders, including former minister V. Surendran Pillai and CPM district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, came as she returned home on her scooter after dropping her daughter in school on Thursday morning.
Sandhya found the road to her house near the Cliff House blocked by the police and she gave a piece of her mind to the leaders.
