A day after a 13-year-old boy was electrocuted at his school in Kollam district, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to conduct a thorough audit of the state's school infrastructure six years ago. Rahul, in a social media post on platform 'X', stated that he had written to Vijayan in 2019 regarding the audit of Kerala school infrastructure following the poignant passing away of a young girl due to a snakebite within her classroom.
"It saddens me immensely that another valuable life —13-year-old Mithun Manu — has been lost due to electrocution from a hanging power line inside a school campus in Kollam. I call upon the Kerala government to promptly conduct a time-bound, public audit and upgradation of all school infrastructure in the state and establish responsibility for this tragedy," he wrote in his post.
Gandhi averred that all children are entitled to a secure learning environment and no parent must undergo such a tragic loss.
Mithun, Thevalakkara Boys High School student, passed away after touching a live electric wire on the school campus on Thursday.
Further, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day opened a memorial meeting to celebrate the second death anniversary of late Oommen Chandy, a former Chief Minister. Rahul referred to the political attack on the Congress veteran as "criminal".
Rahul Gandhi on Friday stated that party veteran, the late Chandy was not a person, but a symbol of Kerala politics and that he "killed himself" for the people of the state even after being subjected to one of the most harsh unfair political onslaughts.
Rahul, in a later social media post, also stated that Chandy had a modest agenda — to develop a generation of leaders who serve with compassion, humility and the politics of emotion. "All day long, lies were spoken about him (Chandy)," Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said in what seemed to be a reference to the multi-crore solar scam.
Three of the office workers of Chandy were charged with involvement in the alleged cheating of a few individuals of crores of rupees by a woman and her male accomplice on the promise of solar panel solutions.
Also read: Rahul, Kharge write to PM on J&K's statehood, Omar thanks Cong
The woman had also accused Chandy and a few other top Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, of sexually exploiting her. But all of them were cleared of the charges by the CBI which investigated her claims.
Rahul said that he regularly spoke to Chandy while the latter was facing these allegations, but the Congress stalwart never spoke angrily about anybody.
"He was always balanced, always humble and always working for the interests of the people of the state." He added that he learned a lot from Chandy and it was his desire to mould more and more people like the Congress veteran as Kerala has a "tradition" of such individuals.
"He wasn't just one person, but a symbol of Kerala politics. I literally witnessed him die for the state people," said the Congress MP from Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh).
Rahul also respected Chandy by calling him a "master of political feeling". In his social media message, the Opposition Leader stated that real politics "was not about what you say or what you think, it is about your ability to feel what people are feeling".
"That's what Oommen Chandy ji represented. He gave himself to Kerala — without anger, greed, or fear. I felt his absence at the Smriti Sangamam deeply but also his spirit — in the warmth of people and the happiness of giving away homes in his name," he wrote in the post.
Rahul also called Chandy his 'guru' while speaking. He added that a 'guru' was one who really leads you the way with his own behaviour. "So in a way, Chandy ji is my guru and of many people in Kerala. He gave us the direction not by talking or thinking but by doing. And I hope many youngsters in Kerala will follow him and conduct themselves in the tradition of the politics of Kerala," he said.
Before the memorial meeting, Rahul offered tribute to Chandy in his grave at the St George Church, Puthuppally here. The Congress leader placed flowers and a candle on the grave of Chandy and prayed in front of it. Later, he went to the church and proceeded to the venue of the memorial meeting.
Part of the programme involved Rahul distributing keys to 12 newly constructed houses for the underprivileged, which were built by the Oommen Chandy Foundation, and inaugurating a new charitable programme called 'Smriti Sangamam'. He also distributed cochlear implants to some hearing-impaired children. It was part of an initiative initiated by Chandy.
Follow us
