As the voting for the crucial assembly bypoll is underway in Palakkad, former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sandeep Varier, who recently joined the Congress party, called on prominent Islamic scholar and Samastha leader Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal at his house here on Wednesday.
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, popularly known as Samastha, is an apex body of Sunni scholars in the state.
Although Varier termed it as a “courtesy call”, it assumes great significance as it came a day after two Malayalam newspapers, the mouthpieces of two prominent factions of the Samastha, published CPI(M)-sponsored advertisements against him.
The paid advertisements featured Varier’s alleged old social media posts, sparking a huge political controversy in the state on the eve of Palakkad byelection.
Addressing reporters here after Varier’s visit, Muthukoya Thangal said the newspapers would publish whatever advertisements they receive.
However, he was reluctant to elaborate on the political controversy that erupted in the state over that.
The controversial advertisements were published in the Palakkad edition of the newspapers on the eve of the assembly bypoll, prompting the UDF to question how the Election Commission permitted the same.
The advertisement contained screenshots of several social media posts allegedly by Varier when he was in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The CPI(M) defended its move, saying it published the advertisement in many English and Malayalam newspapers and the intention behind it was to point out that Congress accepted into its fold a person with a “communal mindset”.
On Varier’s visit, the Samastha leader said the organisation has been making all possible efforts to strengthen religious harmony in the society and this was also part of that.
Asked about Varier’s BJP background in the past, he said in India anyone can choose their political ideology and party.
“Now, he has come out of it and the Congress party has accepted him. He should be accepted like that. We shall support anyone who does good,” the veteran said.
Varier also expressed happiness over the meeting with the Samastha leader and said he gifted him a handwritten copy of the Constitution of the country.
“We have not discussed any politics during our meeting. The message he has given is the need for everyone to stand united to strengthen secular values,” he said.
After joining the Congress party last week, Varier visited IUML chief Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, which triggered sharp criticism from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Brisk polling was witnessed in the Palakkad assembly by-poll on Wednesday with a turnout of 20.50 per cent at 10.30 am, more than three hours after voting commenced.
The initial hour of polling saw a low turnout of only 1.11 per cent at 8 am which climbed to 6.76 per cent by 8.30 am and reached 13.63 per cent by around 9.30 am, according to figures released by the Election Commission.
People started arriving early in the morning at the 184 polling booths across the constituency, which has over 1.9 lakh voters who will cast their votes to elect a representative from among 10 candidates.
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