Congress' Palakkad bypoll candidate Rahul Mamkootathil
Credit: Facebook/Rahul Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission has sought a report on the police raid at the hotel rooms in Palakkad on suspicion of arrival of black money, where the Congress leaders, including the bypoll candidate Rahul Mamkootathil, were staying.
Congress leader V D Satheesan had petitioned the EC accusing the CPI(M) government in Kerala of misusing police to carry out late night raids at hotel rooms of women leaders of Congress flouting the laid down procedures. He alleged that the CPI(M) was trying to sabotage the Palakkad assembly by-elections.
Subsequently the EC sought a report from the district collector, who is the district electoral officer.
Meanwhile, the Tuesday late night raids is snowballing into an ugly political spats between Congress and CPI(M) senior leaders, including ministers.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged the role of local self government minister M B Rajesh, who is a MLA from Palakkad, in initiating the late night police raids. This has irked the CPI(M) leaders who were sticking to the allegation that the Congress was pumping in illegal money for influencing voters.
Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil has challenged the CPI(M) to prove that he was carrying illegal money.
CPI(M) had alleged that illegal money was carried in a blue trolley bag that Mamkootathil's close aide and Congress worker Fenny Ninan brought to the hotel where the candidate and other leaders were staying. The CPI(M) camps also released CCTV footage of the trolley bag being brought to the hotel. But Congress leaders maintained that it contained Mamkootathil's dress. He also displayed the trolley bag before the media.
Even as the CPI(M) Palakkad district unit lodged a police complaint in this regard, the police did not register any case so far.