Palakkad bypoll: Sarin launches 'handshake campaign' after Congress leaders don't shake hands with him

Palakkad(Kerala):The ruling CPI(M)'s independent candidate in the Palakkad by-poll, P Sarin, launched a "handshake campaign" on Tuesday to highlight his Congress rival Rahul Mamkootathil's recent decision to refuse a handshake at an event here.

Mamkootathil, however, merely brushed aside his former Congress party colleague Sarin's campaign with a smile.

On the other hand, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Thiruvananthapuram MP said he extends his hand to whosoever comes before him as "that is how you really show courtesy".

At the same time, he also said that there are reasons behind certain situations when such courtesy is not there.

Sarin, who was the Congress' Digital Media Convener, was expelled from the party following his revolt by questioning Mamkootathil's candidacy for the Palakkad by-poll.

Subsequently, the CPI(M) took him into its fold and nominated him as its independent candidate for the Palakkad assembly seat.

A day ago, at a marriage function here, Congress MP from Vadakara Shafi Parambil and Youth Congress state president Mamkootathil greeted former party leader A V Gopinathan, but did not shake the hand offered by Sarin who was standing nearby and walked away even as he called them from behind, according to visuals shown on TV channels.

Referring to the incident, Sarin said, "It (the handshake campaign) will help us to gauge the public reaction to what happened and also whether people think we did anything wrong. Whether they apologise to me or not, they should apologise to the people." He also said Mamkootathil's action will now deter people from offering him a handshake when they see him.

Sarin also took a dig at the UDF candidate by saying that he jumps and dances like a "baby monkey" to the directions and tunes of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan and Parambil.

When reporters told Mamkootathil about Sarin's campaign, the Youth Congress state president responded with a smile and nothing else.

Later, when the same issue was raised before Tharoor, he said that during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll he and BJP candidate O Rajagopal stopped to greet each other in the middle of their respective campaigns.

"That is how you really show courtesy. That does not mean that we have some link or that I accept their political views. It is just showing common courtesy. But, there may be reasons for certain situations..," he said.

"It could be due to some issues in the party recently, I hope you can understand that," he added.

According to visuals on TV channels, Parambil and Mamkootathil, right after ignoring Sarin's handshake, had termed the Left candidate's move as "an act aimed at creating news".

"I have integrity in my actions. I cannot act in this manner to create news for TV channels," Mamkootathil said, referring to Sarin's offer of a handshake.

The UDF candidate had also said that those who said they do not want the 'hand' -- referring to the political symbol of the Congress -- are now asking for a hand and questioned why it was so.

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

The bypoll for the seat was necessitated by the election of sitting MLA and Congress leader Shafi Parambil to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency in the recent parliamentary polls.