The bye-election to be held from Thrikkakkara Assembly constituency on May 31 and which saw tempers running high between the three fronts, the LDF, the UDF and the NDA, a sudden reversal by Saturday as the BJP’s minority morcha turned the course by changing the campaign style from a battle of nerves to a battle of wits. The campaign will end on Sunday evening.
The run up to the bye-election saw an unpleasant development resulting out of the Save the Republic Rally held by the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India, known for its extremist ideology. A highly provocative slogan was raised during the rally held last Saturday by the participants which finally turned out to be the campaign message of the PFI. “Christians and Hindus , watch out. If you do not behave properly and live according to our diktats, better stock sufficient quantities of rice, rice flower and incandescence in your homes. You should need it,” was the slogan that reverberated during the rally.
The district administration including the police was dumbfounded by the slogan in the rally, which itself should have not been allowed at this time because of the tense atmosphere. Though the main stream media covered up the matter, the social media unleashed a propaganda blitzkrieg which spread all over the State like a wild fire.
The BJP and the Congress were in the forefront attacking the CPI(M), which they alleged had compromised with the PFI because of the string Muslim presence in the constituency. The week saw the arrest of seven-term MLA P C George on charges of making communally provocative speech at Ernakulam. George was given conditional bail by the Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday but he came under fire from the UDF and the Islamic outfits for his efforts to aggravate the tension.
On Saturday, the BJP minority wing organised an “incandescence meeting” at Thrikkakkara. “The PFI volunteers asked us to stock incandescence because it is an essential ingredient during the Christian burial. The priests and associates bear stands filled with incandescence lamps while the laity recite the prayer Hail Mary. The Hindus have been asked to stock rice, rice flower and camphor as they also use it during the last rites,” said Jaison Mazhuvancherry, who led the public meeting which was attended by hundreds of devotees.
Not only that. Jaison and associates would be organising such incandescence prayer meeting all over the State. “There is no law which prevents them holding such prayer meetings so long as they do not cause any public disorder,” said a senior police officer, who could not help but laughing at the turn of events.