BJP Councillor Hits Out At Media For Provocation After Losing Mayor's Post

Bharatiya Janata Party Counsellor and retired IPS officer R Sreelekha has launched a sharp attack on sections of the media through a Facebook post, accusing them of pushing a misleading narrative about her and trying to create rifts within her party and family-like bonds.

In a post titled "oru kadha soluttuma", which loosely translates to "Let me tell you a story", Sreelekha used a parable to explain what she called biased and ill-intentioned reporting.

Sreelekha narrated the story of a father who promises mobile phones to his two children, one studying in Class 12 and the other in Class 10, if both score distinctions. Both children achieve the target, but the father can afford to buy only one phone. When asked to decide, the children agree that the elder sibling should receive it. The matter ends there, peacefully.

However, Sreelekha says, a neighbour with ill intent steps in, repeatedly provoking the younger child by calling the decision unfair and claiming the father broke his promise. He goes and talks ill about it with society members. 

"This is exactly what some sections of the media are doing today," Sreelekha wrote, using the term "mapra", a word often used in political circles in Kerala to insult media-built narrative.

Her post comes against the backdrop of reports around the mayoral decision in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, where the BJP secured a historic victory with 50 councillors. The party's national leadership later decided to appoint VV Rajesh as mayor, citing his three decades of work focused on the capital city.

On Monday, Sreelekha had told an online news portal that she entered the election fray after being assured of a mayoral post. At the same time, she made it clear that she stands by the final decision taken by the party's national leadership, acknowledging that several senior and experienced leaders were in contention. 

The first woman Director General of Police is certainly making news every day since the BJP's win. The first controversy around her was with the rebellion against CPIM MLA VK Prasanth in connection with the office space used by him. 

BJP is likely to announce her as Vattiyoorkavu candidate for the upcoming assembly elections, the sources said.