BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan antics draw flak
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan's antics of tying his hands in protest against the murder of the young tribal man, Madhu, has come under flak from several quarters. Leaders across the political spectrum felt he had resorted to a "fancy dress". Meanwhile, he will be holding a 24-hour protest in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday demanding the resignation of SC/ST minister A. K. Balan.
To register his protest, he had tied his arms with a piece of cloth, first with a blue towel and later in red, in a similar manner in which the mob tied Madhu's hands. He himself tweeted the photo and said the much-hyped Kerala Model of development is a failure at the grassroots. But within minutes, trolls cropped up on social media. Congress spokesperson Pandalam Sudhakaran told DC that a leader of his stature had turned a “joker”. “Mr Rajasekharan resorting to tying his hands and posing before the camera twice and then posting it on Twitter is akin to humiliating the soul of Madhu,: he said.
However, former BJP state president P. K. Krishnadas and state general secretary M. T. Ramesh rallied behind him. Both the leaders echoed that Madhu’s picture of despair and his picture have become “iconic” which would be used in the Dalit agitations. “When he sits on a 24-hour fast on Tuesday, the pictures will be highlighted,” said Mr Ramesh. “We demand a white paper on the amount spent for developmental schemes implemented for Adivasis.” Mr Krishnadas said Madhu’s picture with tied hands “shows the real face of the Pinarayi government and there is nothing wrong in highlighting it.”