CPM points finger at Congress-led UDF over “communally loaded WhatsApp message”, grand old party alleges it was a Left ploy to win votes
By Shaju Philip
Though the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala was over a fortnight ago, the Vadakara constituency is still simmering over the allegations of fomenting communal sentiments during the electioneering.
The CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF are trading allegations against each other over a communally loaded WhatsApp message which referred Congress candidate Shafi Parambil as a “Muslim offering prayers five times a day” and CPI(M) candidate K K Shailaja as a “kafir woman (non-Muslim)”.
A Left citadel which the Congress has been winning since 2009, Vadakara LS constituency had witnessed a fierce electoral battle this time with both the fronts targeting the rival candidates.
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On April 24, a day before the polling, the WhatsApp message purportedly attributed to a worker of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had been widely circulated in the constituency. Screenshot of the message said, “Shafi is a Muslim, who offers prayers five times a day. The other candidate is a ‘kafir’ woman. Whom should we vote for, think before voting. Vote for one among us.’’
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
