KANNUR: Kerala’s political landscape turned violent as Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan leveled explosive charges against the CPI(M) for fomenting widespread unrest in Kannur ahead of voting day. On Saturday, he portrayed the incidents as a desperate ploy by the Left Front to bully opponents into submission, fearing an electoral drubbing.
Satheesan implored Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to issue a firm directive to his party’s foot soldiers, ending what he termed a ‘criminal gang’s rampage.’ Reports from multiple areas in the district, including Payyanur, Mayyil, and Taliparamba, describe a pattern of premeditated aggression.
A particularly brazen attack targeted T. Purushottaman, backer of independent UDF candidate V. Kunjikrishnan. His residence was stormed, vehicle torched, amid a spree of destructions that saw election murals erased and homes desecrated with funeral garlands. Even a local Congress outpost bore the brunt of the fury.
With unflinching resolve, Satheesan asserted these operations had top-level sanction within CPI(M). He slammed the silence from party hierarchies, accusing them of operating like thugs who crush dissent underfoot. Adding fuel to the fire, he revealed tactics in Dharmadam—Vijayan’s turf—where itching powder was deployed against rival polling agents.
Echoes of this mayhem resound in Nadapuram, Perambra, Tanur, Kattakada, and Nemom, signaling a coordinated assault on democracy. Calling on the Election Commission for urgent measures, Satheesan stressed the need for robust policing to safeguard the ballot. ‘This organized violence aims to paralyze governance and scare voters,’ he cautioned.
With May 4 looming, Kerala’s battle lines are drawn sharper than ever. Satheesan’s outcry underscores the high stakes, as the opposition rallies against what it sees as authoritarian overreach by those in power.
