The Hindu : Front Page : Congress alleges CPI(M) bid to sabotage byelection

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Tuesday, Oct 25, 2005

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Congress alleges CPI(M) bid to sabotage byelection

Special Correspondent

Party denies LDF charge on manipulation of voters' list

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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary M.I. Shanavas has denied the allegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) that the Congress is making efforts to tamper with the electoral rolls and that it convened a meeting of the office-bearers of the Police Association recently.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Shanavas alleged that the CPI(M) was making all attempts to sabotage the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha byelection and that this was the objective of the party's allegation that the Congress was tampering with the voters' list by enrolling bogus voters. He denied that Neyyattinkara MLA Thampanoor Ravi had conspired to enrol 5,000 Tamil workers in the list. Mr. Ravi has only issued letters to 150 persons for their names to be included in the ration card, which is not a document for enrolment in the voters' list.

[CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan and Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan had on Sunday alleged attempts on the part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and to manipulate the voters' list in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. The CPI leader said the Government had a hand in the attempted manipulation.]

The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) seems to be losing its confidence as the election date nears, he said. He asserted that the KPCC office had never been a venue for any convention involving the police. "We do not have a political outfit for cops like the CPI(M). The proclaimed policy of the UDF is not to politicise the police force," he said.

There are several policemen who are sympathetic to the Congress cause. Such people might have come to the KPCC office and nobody can prevent them, as the doors are open at the KPCC office, he said.

He said it was unfortunate that the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) leader K. Karunakaran should have alleged that the accused in the Fort police station lock-up death case attended the secret meeting of cops convened at the KPCC office.

The Congress has fielded V.S. Sivakumar for the byelection because it is confident that he will capture the seat. Pannian Ravindran has been inducted into the fray by the CPI(M)'s Kannur lobby.

Mr. Thampanoor Ravi, who was present, said the allegations against him were baseless. He has given letters to only those who are natives of Neyyattinkara, he added.

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