Row Over LDF Campaign Poster On Oommen Chandy's Tomb, Cops Check CCTV

A political controversy erupted after a poster of the LDF election campaign was found pasted on the tomb of former chief minister Oommen Chandy. The poster was linked to a march led by Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani, an ally of the ruling LDF.

DCC president Nattakam Suresh, who shared the poster on Facebook, demanded action against the Kerala Congress.

Jose K Mani expressed regret, alleging the act insulted Chandy. The CPI(M) Puthuppally local committee called for the culprits to be identified and sought a comprehensive investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest there may be no organised conspiracy behind the incident. CCTV visuals from the church premises indicated a mentally challenged youth placed the poster at the site. Kottayam East Police have launched an investigation, but the youth has not yet been traced.

Both the CPM and Congress have raised suspicions over whether someone may have influenced the youth to carry out the act. The incident has triggered sharp political exchanges between the rival fronts.

CPM Kottayam district secretary T.R. Raghunathan said the party holds only respect for Chandy and questioned why the Congress has not filed a police complaint. He alleged the Congress and UDF attempted to turn the episode into a political controversy.

Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, however, asked why Chandy continues to be targeted even after his death.

CPI(M) Puthuppally secretary Subhash P Varghese alleged the incident was a planned attempt by the Congress to discredit the LDF campaign and spread misunderstanding among the public. He also cited a past episode in which allegations against CPM workers were later found by police to involve Youth Congress members.