KSU activists in Kannur held a mock ceremony, sending a ‘Best Actress’ trophy and a neck brace to Kerala Health Minister Veena George via post, satirizing her claim of being injured during a protest at Kannur Railway station.
KSU’s Satirical Protest
In a satirical escalation of the ongoing political row in Kerala in connection with Kerala health minister Veena George, activists of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Indian National Congress, on Friday held a mock ceremony to send her “protective gear” and “Best Actress” trophy.
State General Secretary of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), Farhan Munderi, along with District Vice President Harikrishnan Palad and Prakeerth Munderi assembled in front of the Head Post Office in Kannur here with a trophy and a neck collar that they said will ensure her safety from “future air-borne injuries”.
They said the items will be sent via post to George’s official residence in Thiruvananthapuram. The tongue-in-cheek initiative by the KSU followed Wednesday’s incident at the Kannur Railway station, where she claimed to have been injured during a scuffle with KSU activists.
‘Best Acting’ Award for Minister
Addressing mediapersons outside the post office, KSU General Secretary Munderi displayed the mock “Best Actress Award” and the neck brace that he said will be sent as “gifts” for the Minister. “KSU has come today to the District Head Post Office to send a gift to Kerala’s beloved Health Minister. That gift is the ‘First Prize’ from KSU,” Munderi said.
“For the last three days, the people of Kannur and various other regions of the State have been discussing the ‘drama’ performed by Kerala’s Health Minister. That drama began at the railway station when KSU activists went to show black flags. While the protestors were kept at a distance by the police and didn’t even go near her, the Health Minister claimed she was injured by ‘air’ and got admitted to the hospital,” Munderi said.
Veena George was discharged from the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram and according to sources, left Kannur around 4 am in an official vehicle and returned to Thiruvananthapuram, where she will continue further treatment. The protest by KSU, the student wing of the Congress party, was reportedly over alleged medical negligence in state government hospitals. While the ruling CPI(M) condemned the incident as a “heinous attack,” the opposition Congress has dismissed the claims as “fabricated.”
KSU General Secretary said, “Today, at 4 am, without anyone knowing, she reportedly returned home. Therefore, KSU Kannur District Committee has decided to give her an award. This award is for the ‘Best Acting’ seen in this district in recent times.”
“Furthermore, we are worried that as she travels back to Thiruvananthapuram and if KSU activists protest again, she might claim more injuries. Since she is a Health Minister who gets ‘injured by the air,’ KSU is also gifting her this neck collar,” Munderi said in Malayalam.
Further, he claimed that the health sector in Kerala was on a ‘ventilator’ and in the ICU, yet the Minister was busy acting. He pointed out that CPM leaders like MV Govindan and others claimed that George had “sustained injuries to her throat and she was in pain.”
“We want to know how someone with such an injury suddenly travelled back home at 4 am? The distance between Kannur and the state capitalof Thiruvananthapuram is approximately 500 kilometres. “The CPM, SFI, and DYFI are trying to threaten our activists. They even threw bombs at our District Secretary’s house. But let us tell you, this is Kannur. If you try to suppress our democratic protests with violence, we will respond in the same way,” the KSU Secretary said.
Further, he urged George to “tell the people of Kerala clearly” that she had enacted a “scripted play directed by Speaker Shamseer and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “KSU is sending this trophy for ‘Best Actress’ and this neck collar to the Minister’s official residence via post today”, he said.
Yesterday, Kalpetta MLA T Sideeq also reacted sharply, mocking the minister. “We are now going to announce the best actor award to Mrs. Veena George, the health minister of Kerala. Her acting was in a very extra official manner. She did her acting without having a single incident of any assault or attack on her body. She acted in a very good manner. Actually, Mohanlal and Mammootty has to follow Veena George actually,” he said.
Controversy and Medical Report
The controversy erupted after it was reported that Health Minister Veena George was allegedly attacked during a black-flag protest by KSU activists on Wednesday. She was initially admitted to Kannur District Hospital and later shifted to Kannur Government Medical College Hospital.
A 13-member medical board reviewing her condition stated that she is undergoing treatment in the ICU for severe radicular pain caused by pressure on cervical nerve roots in her neck. The board clarified that no emergency surgery is required at present, though continuous monitoring is necessary.
CPI(M) Condemns ‘Heinous Attack’
Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary MV Govindan on Wednesday condemned the recent attack on George, saying that it was a pre-planned, deliberate attempt to assault carried out under the leadership of Congress. “Attack on Health Minister Veena George was a brutal and deliberate assault. Never before has such an attack been carried out against a woman minister in Kerala. This was an organised, pre-planned attack, carried out with the full knowledge of the Congress leadership…” he said.
Further, the CPI(M) State Secretary alleged that the protest was intended to harm and even kill the state Health Minister. He said that the violence was calculated and was conducted with complete awareness. He alleged that the Congress and the UDF have planned a coordinated and aggressive attack against the Health Minister and it had nothing to do with any personal issue of the Minister.
Kerala’s health sector is one that has gained national and global recognition….No other state in India matches Kerala in this regard. At the same time, there is a clear attempt to corporatise Kerala’s health sector. Some of the top private hospitals in the state are now major points of interest for big multinational corporate families, including those in the United States. Keeping this in mind, there is a deliberate move to weaken Kerala’s strong public health system,” Govindan said yesterday.
“…The incident happened in broad daylight. From the hospital, the Minister was taken to the medical college because of the situation that arose there. Just a few days ago, Youth Congress workers attacked the Minister’s house and placed a wreath at the doorstep — a symbolic death threat. Protests have happened in Kerala before, but they were always done discreetly. This time, they openly declared, ‘We are placing the wreath,’ which clearly means, ‘We intend to kill.’ Later, in Kannur, the Minister had five events, and protests were raised at all five venues. Protesting is not wrong, but a railway station is not such a venue. She was at the railway station only because she had to return by train. That is when the KSU and Youth Congress goons launched a violent attack. The people of Kerala will stand united and respond strongly to this kind of assault,” the CPI(M) State Secretary said.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the attack on George, terming it “organised hooliganism” and a threat to the State’s peace. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)