The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has termed baseless the allegation by R. Selvaraj, United Democratic Front candidate in Neyyattinkara, that it had hired contract killers to slay him.
'Unfortunate'
A statement issued here on Thursday by party district unit secretary Kadakampally Surendran said that it was unfortunate that Mr. Selvaraj, who quit the CPI(M) prior to the Piravom by-poll, had made his wife come out with such allegations.
The reasons cited by Mr. Selvaraj for leaving the party were still fresh in the minds of the public, which were more centred on his being sidelined in the party. There was no mention of any murder attempt at that time. However, Mr. Selvaraj, who had said at the time of his quitting the party that it would be suicidal to join the UDF, was now the UDF's official candidate and it was only when the by-poll was round-the-corner that he had come out with new allegations.
If the contract killer story was true, why didn't he lodge a complaint with the police, Mr. Surendran asked. Mr. Selvaraj had first alleged that there was a murder attempt by a Tamil Nadu-based gang and now, he changed it to a Pozhiyoor-based gang, he said.
Fears setback
Mr. Selvaraj was coming out with such malicious campaigns because he feared a setback in Neyyattinkara, Mr. Surendran said adding that the public could distinguish between truth and fiction.
