Muvattupuzha: Political one-upmanship over helping a poor family which defaulted on a bank loan continues.
Soon after Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan announced last weekend he would repay the pending dues of the family to the Muvattupuzha Urban Cooperative Bank, CITU-affiliated and pro-CPM Kerala Cooperative Employees Union of the lender claimed on Monday it had repaid the loan dues of Rs 1.5 lakh by pooling money. But the deafulter, Ajeesh, has spurned the Union bid to clear his dues offended over the insult and property attachment by the bank.
The eviction by bank officials of two girl children who were alone in their house as their parents were in hospital and the intervention of Muvattupuzha MLA had attracted much media attention on Saturday.
The house owner, Valiyaparambil Ajeesh of Pezhakkappilli at Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district, had taken a loan from Muvattupuzha Urban Cooperative Bank by pledging his house. However, as he defaulted on repayments, the bank initiated moves to attach his property. When bank officials reached Ajeesh’s house on Saturday to take over the property, he was admitted to hospital for a heart ailment and was accompanied by his wife. Even though Ajeesh’s minor daughters alone were in the house, bank officials evicted them by force.
Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan soon reached the place, broke the lock and allowed the children into their house. The MLA subsequently announced that the loan dues would be cleared by him. On Monday morning, Kuzhalnadan submitted a letter in this regard to the chief executive officer of Cooperative Bank.
However, in a dramatic announcement later in the day, bank chairman and CPM leader Gopi Kottamurikkal posted on social media that bank staff who were members of the Kerala Cooperative Employees Union mobilised money and cleared the money owed by Ajeesh.
After the CPM leader’s post appeared on social media, Ajeesh rejected the offer. "I don't need help from people who insulted me," he said.
"Even after evicting children, bank officials had tried to justify their action on Saturday. CPM members and bank staff had, in fact, ridiculed me on social media. The staff was also not sympathetic when I had approached them earlier to adopt a lenient attitude over my loan repayment," said Ajeesh.
"Bank officials are now attempting to cover up their lapses," he added.
Moreover, the bank staff decided to help him only after the intervention by the Congress MLA, Ajeesh pointed out.
