Kollam (Kerala) | The BJP-led NDA candidate for the Kollam Lok Sabha seat, G Krishnakumar, allegedly faced protests from activists of the CPI(M)'s student outfit when he visited an educational institution in the district to canvass votes on Wednesday, prompting the actor-turned-politician to strongly condemn their actions.
Police said that no case was registered in connection with the incident that occurred at the Industrial Training Institute at Chandanathope when the NDA candidate visited the campus, accompanied by workers of the BJP and the ABVP.
Visuals aired by TV channels showed SFI activists shouting slogans against BJP as the candidate reached the campus, and the disruptions allegedly caused by the Left students outfit led to a clash with ABVP activists.
Tensions eased due to the intervention of teachers and the police, who reached the spot upon hearing about the incident.
Condemning the SFI workers' actions, Krishnakumar told reporters that what they did was "real fascism."
He said that when his rival candidates, M Mukesh of LDF and N K Premachandran of UDF, visited the campus, there were no protests. However, when he visited, SFI activists raised slogans, saying "no welcome for Narendra Modi's candidate."
Taking a dig at the Left, which often accuses the saffron party of being a fascist outfit, Krishnakumar stated that what the SFI did on the campus was "real fascism."
The SFI claimed that their protest was not directed at Krishnakumar but rather against the ABVP's attempt to designate the candidate to inaugurate the students' union's prize distribution programme.
The Left student outfit accused the ABVP of violating the agreement between the two groups, each having three seats in the union.
"Both SFI and the ABVP decided on Tuesday that the principal of the institute would carry out the prize distribution ceremony. However, the ABVP violated this agreement by having Krishnakumar replace the principal. We were protesting against it," an SFI activist told a news channel.
He also alleged that the activists of the BJP who came from outside hurled abuses at them, leading to the protest.
