Palakkad bypoll: Trolley bag row will cause set back for LDF, says CPI(M)

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Saturday expressed confidence that the trolley bag controversy would cause set back to the Congress-UDF in bypoll-bound Palakkad and would turn out to be votes for the party-led LDF in the constituency in the November 20 assembly by-election.

The Left party said the midnight search issue and the subsequent trolley bag controversy had come up as part of the election process and there is no need to ignore it without discussing it.

Police recently conducted a raid at a hotel in Palakkad on suspicion of the arrival of black money where prominent Congress leaders were staying.

Addressing reporters here, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the state should discuss the matter in connection with the flow of hawala money (during election time).

"We are not a party which goes after a trolley bag. All these issues have cropped up as part of election progress and not come up as a political issue. It's an important matter which should not be ignored. A correct investigation should be held in this regard," he said.

Stating that the trolley bag row would cause a set back for the Congress-UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil in Palakkad constituency, the leader expressed hope that it would turn out to be votes for the CPI(M)-LDF nominee P Sarin.

Govindan further alleged that various issues, including the ID card row in the Youth Congress and the present trolley bag controversy have brought disgrace to Mamkootathil.

"I have no doubt that these all will turn out to be votes for us," he said.

He also said that he BJP-NDA would never get the votes garnered by 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan during the previous Assembly polls in Palakkad.

The Congress was also not going to win the same votes which they received last time from the minority communities out of fear that the BJP might win in Palakkad, he added.

Govindan's statements came amidst a raging political row over a midnight police raid at a hotel in Palakkad on suspicion of the arrival of black money.

The CPI(M) state secretary, on Friday, had demanded a probe after CCTV footage emerged showing a Congress worker arriving at the hotel with a trolley bag.

The Congress-led UDF had accused the Left party of releasing the footage to the media.

On Wednesday, the police had conducted searches, including in hotel rooms where prominent Congress women politicians, such as Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman, were staying.

The Election Commission postponed the Palakkad Assembly bypoll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.

The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MLA of the constituency, Shafi Parambil, got elected to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency.