The Lok Sabha election may be over, but political allegations and counter-allegations continue to pour in from Vadakara, which saw one of the most fiercely fought electoral battles in recent times in Kerala.
K.K. Shailaja of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Shafi Parambil of the United Democratic Front (UDF) were the main contenders here along with the National Democratic Alliance’s C.R. Praphul Krishnan.
From the beginning itself, cyberspace turned out to be a major platform for both the LDF and the UDF camps to drive home their political point and showcase their strength. Though Ms. Shailaja accused the UDF camp of indulging in cyberbullying and hate campaign against her, the latter denied any role in any of that. Her clarification later about an alleged morphed video was termed by the UDF as a “U-turn”. This also resulted in a series of complaints being filed against each other, even after the culmination of the public campaign on April 24. However, a WhatsApp message with communal overtones seeking votes for Mr. Parambil, which appeared on the eve of the election held on April 26, proved to be another turning point.
Though the LDF alleged that it was an activist of the Muslim Students Federation who was behind the message, the latter flatly denied it and filed a complaint claiming that a fake profile had been created in his name. This was followed by another series of allegations and counter-allegations, both online and offline.
While Ms. Shailaja claimed that Mr. Parambil was aware of the alleged communal campaign against her, the latter held aloft his secular credentials. Rahul Mankoottathil, Youth Congress State president, P. Jayarajan, senior CPI(M) leader, and K.T. Jaleel, LDF-backed Independent MLA, were among those who spoke their mind on social media on the issue. Some pro-Left cultural activists and journalists too waded into the controversy.
P. Mohanan, CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary, was the latest to respond to the issue, saying that some Youth Congress leaders and close aides of Mr. Parambil were found to have been continuing the communal hate campaign and sexually abusive propaganda against Ms. Shailaja. He alleged that it was an attempt through communal polarisation to stop a section of the Muslim community from politically aligning with the LDF.
Mr. Mohanan also claimed that Mr. Parambil never denounced the fake posters and edited videos that were used against Ms. Shailaja. Political observers said that one of the worst forms of character assassination was on display during the campaign in Vadakara this time. Interpreting one of the Facebook posts of Ms. Shailaja to brand her as an “Israel supporter” was an example of this, they said.
