Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V.D. Satheesan on Friday sought to play down the controversy surrounding a photograph of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with now arrested in Sabarimala gold heist case, Unnikrishnan Potti, dismissing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s allegations as “cheap” and accusing the CPI(M) of attempting to divert attention from more serious issues confronting the government.
Satheesan said the so-called photo controversy was being deliberately amplified to deflect focus from the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala.
“This is a classic attempt by the CPI(M) to hide a real problem by creating a manufactured controversy,” he said.
Rejecting the insinuations raised by the Chief Minister, Satheesan remarked that meeting Sonia Gandhi was neither unusual nor difficult.
“Anyone can meet Sonia Gandhi if they take an appointment. There is nothing extraordinary about it,” he said, adding with sarcasm that meeting the Chief Minister was far more difficult.
“After all, the Chief Minister is a highly protected individual,” Satheesan quipped.
Taking the argument further, the opposition leader said that if a photograph could be taken with the Chief Minister, there was nothing unusual about taking a photograph with Sonia Gandhi either.
“This selective outrage exposes the hollowness of the accusations,” he said.
Satheesan alleged that the CPI(M) was attempting to shield its own leaders in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
“Two CPI(M) leaders, who are accused of the gold theft from Sabarimala, are still in jail. The photo controversy is being used to distract public attention from that fact,” he charged.
He also criticised the Chief Minister’s recent press conference, describing it as “substandard” and lacking seriousness.
“The Chief Minister is trying to protect those accused of the gold theft,” Satheesan said.
Referring to the circulation of a photograph of Unnikrishnan Potti with the Chief Minister, Satheesan asked whether the opposition had ever claimed that the Chief Minister was an accused in the gold theft case merely because such a photograph existed.
“Did we say that the Chief Minister is involved in the gold theft just because a photograph surfaced?” he asked.
Satheesan’s remarks underline Congress’ attempt to shift the narrative back to allegations of corruption, even as the CPI(M) seeks to keep the spotlight on political optics.
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