From roadside to Assembly floor, Kerala’s muddy water row escalates
Thiruvananthapuram: The controversy over the quality of water used in water cannons during the Kerala Police action against AIYF and AISF activists spilled further into the political arena on Tuesday, with expelled Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil stepping up his attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Opposition on the issue.
In a social media post accompanied by three photographs, Mamkootathil questioned the credibility of the Left opposition’s explanation of the water used during the protest dispersal.
“Do we need any bigger proof to show how big liars Rajan and Vijayan are? If water falls on the road, will it become anything other than muddy water? Will it turn into soda or sherbet?” Mamkootathil posted.
The three photographs, taken by a vernacular newspaper photographer and shared by him, appeared to show a sequence of events linked to the controversy.
The first image showed a youth collecting water from the roadside in a small plastic bottle.
The second showed senior CPI legislator and former Revenue Minister K. Rajan walking with the same bottle in his hand, while the third showed Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan holding the bottle on the floor of the Assembly on Monday evening.
The issue had triggered a heated exchange in the Assembly on Monday after the Opposition raised questions over the nature of the water used in the water cannon.
The controversy also gained traction on social media, with the images of the collected sample being widely circulated.
The government had faced allegations that the water sprayed on protesters was contaminated.
However, the ruling side maintained that the water used by the police was not harmful and dismissed the allegations.
Mamkootathil’s post sought to turn the visual evidence into a political attack, targeting both Vijayan and Rajan, who had responded to the Opposition’s claims in the Assembly.
The row is now emerging as another flashpoint between the government and the opposition, with both sides trading charges over the handling of protests and the police action.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had responded, in the Assembly, that the water has been sent for examination and if there is any lapse, action would be taken.
With these pictures now surfacing, the response from Chennithala is awaited.