Thiruvananthapuram, March 24 The arrival of a group of "sanyasis" (ascetics), including an aghori sadhu, during the election campaign of BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar for the April 9 assembly polls has sparked a debate in the Nemom constituency.
The LDF and UDF candidates -- V Sivankutty and K S Sabarinathan -- have mocked the presence of the sadhus (monks) during the campaign.
Sivankutty said that Nemom has 23 schools and expressed concern that the sight of aghori sadhus on the streets during study hours could frighten children.
He also remarked that such "types" of sanyasis were unlikely to have any electoral relevance in the constituency.
Television visuals showed the sadhus arriving in a car and interacting briefly with Chandrasekhar. One of them was also seen walking behind the BJP candidate’s campaign team while blowing a conch shell.
“What is this BJP candidate trying to show? Things should be done in accordance with the circumstances of Kerala,” Sivankutty told reporters on Tuesday.
Later in the day, Sivankutty issued a strongly worded statement, alleging that the use of aghori sadhus in the poll campaign of the BJP candidate amounts to a "serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct".
No one objects to aghoris participating in religious rituals, but religion should not interfere in politics, he said.
“The Constitution clearly states that religion should not influence political processes. Bringing aghoris into election campaigning is against that principle.”
According to him, the presence of aghoris even at a BJP election convention in Thiruvananthapuram was a violation of democratic norms.
“Such practices are completely alien to Kerala’s political culture and cannot be allowed,” the LDF candidate added.
Sabarinathan also criticised the move, advising the BJP candidate to focus on connecting with voters at the local level.
He said the sadhus were speaking about Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh and so he doesn't want to say anything more.
“Everyone has the freedom to meet anyone. But I am trying to meet maximum voters and connect at the grassroots level. My advice to Chandrasekhar is to meet local people here and seek votes,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Chandrasekhar denied any role in bringing the sadhus to his campaign.
“I am not the one who brought them. While I was campaigning the other day, they came by car and asked if I was a BJP man. They said they were travelling from Uttar Pradesh to Kanyakumari,” he told a press conference.
He further said the sadhus briefly followed him after the interaction.
“They asked for money for diesel and I gave them Rs 500. I don’t know them,” he added.