The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Monday launched a sharp attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president Rajiv Chandrasekhar, accusing him of verbally assailing journalists. The party alleges that Chandrasekhar’s actions were an attempt to dodge uncomfortable questions related to the suspected suicide of BJP’s Thirumala ward councillor, K. Anil Kumar. The CPI(M) has publicly demanded an apology from Chandrasekhar, condemning his behavior as “feudal attempts at bullying and intimidation.”
V. Joy, the CPI(M) district secretary, revealed that Anil Kumar’s widow and his two daughters expressed significant displeasure with the BJP leadership during a visit by Mr. Chandrasekhar and BJP district president Karamana Jayan on Sunday. The family’s evident distress, according to Joy, highlighted the internal turmoil within the BJP regarding the councillor’s passing.
Following this strained encounter, an incensed Mr. Chandrasekhar reportedly convened a press conference in Sivagiri. There, he allegedly redirected his frustrations about his party’s internal struggles by sharply criticizing a woman journalist who dared to question the circumstances of the veteran BJP leader’s suicide. Joy questioned whether Chandrasekhar employed the same “demeaning manner” towards journalists working for news channels he owns.
Adding to the allegations, CPI(M) State committee member and General Education Minister V. Sivankutty asserted that Mr. Chandrasekhar consistently injects an element of physical threat into his public statements. Sivankutty also pointed out that BJP workers had previously attacked journalists who were covering Anil Kumar’s death.
This isn’t the first time Mr. Chandrasekhar has faced such scrutiny. Just last month, he drew criticism for a social media post where he suggested that “BJP karyakarthas and Hindus” would gather in force to prevent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Tamil Nadu counterpart, M.K. Stalin, from attending the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, which had recently concluded in Pampa. He had demanded an apology from both leaders for “trespassing on Ayyappa faith” if they intended to visit Sabarimala, a stance that drew a strong rebuke from Mr. Vijayan.
BJP’s Response
Meanwhile, BJP leaders close to Mr. Chandrasekhar offered a different perspective. They explained that his remarks were merely a call for sensitivity, emphasizing the inappropriateness of probing questions about Mr. Anil Kumar’s death while the party and family were still grappling with the tragic loss. A spokesperson indicated that Chandrasekhar had simply requested journalists to show greater compassion towards Anil Kumar’s family and respect his memory. Furthermore, Chandrasekhar allegedly believes there is a broader “police-CPI(M) government conspiracy” behind the events leading to Anil Kumar’s death. He viewed the persistent questions from the CPI(M) channel’s reporter as “premeditated and politically motivated,” asserting his right to decline responses to such leading inquiries.