'Who stole Ayyappa's gold': Congress ups ante in campaign climax against Vasavan in Ettumanoor

Athirampuzha: The high-stakes campaign in Ettumanoor came to a colourful close on Tuesday, with the Sabarimala gold smuggling issue taking centre stage. UDF candidate Nattakom Suresh anchored his campaign around the controversy, as party workers danced to the chorus “Swarnam kattath aarappa,” turning it into a pointed political message against the Left.

Suresh is locked in a direct contest with LDF heavyweight and Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, who addressed party workers at the LDF’s kalashakkottu in Ettumanoor town. Meanwhile, at Athirampuzha, the song was played repeatedly as Congress, Muslim League and Kerala Congress workers sang and danced, targeting the minister.

In his speech, Suresh repeatedly asked the crowd, “Who smuggled the gold?”- drawing loud responses of “the comrades.” He went on to raise questions over the alleged Sabarimala issue and asked, “Who looted the land, who looted Sabarimala?”, with the crowd echoing the same refrain. The attack was clearly aimed at Vasavan, who has faced allegations in the Sabarimala gold smuggling controversy- an issue the UDF consistently highlighted throughout the campaign.

Even after his speech, slogans in support of the UDF continued to reverberate, led by local Congress leaders and party workers.

Even as Suresh energised supporters in Athirampuzha, just about two kilometres away, V N Vasavan addressed a sea of LDF workers waving red flags in Ettumanoor town, projecting confidence in the Left’s prospects.

Vasavan’s speech focused on development and praise for the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left government. Declaring that his victory margin in Ettumanoor would be “historic,” he drew loud cheers from the crowd. He highlighted various development initiatives in the constituency, asserting that only the Left could sustain that momentum.

Party workers responded with loud chants to almost every line of his speech, underlining the CPM’s strong organisational base in the constituency.

However, just a short distance away, Congress workers questioned Vasavan’s development claims. “Apart from a few bars coming up within kilometres of each other, nothing much has happened. There has been no real development here in the past 10 years. Even the Athirampuzha junction widening was sanctioned by the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy,” said Alphin George Padikara, a Youth Congress leader.

Even as the war of words continued, Congress workers remained captivated by the chorus of the Ayyappa song- symbolic of a larger emotional weight. Congress is contesting directly in Ettumanoor after five decades, which adds to the enthusiasm among its workers.

“I don’t know how to express my happiness at seeing a candidate contest under the hand symbol. It has been many years. The campaign has been so energetic- Suresh will definitely win,” said a woman party worker, beaming with excitement.

For many years, the seat had been held by Kerala Congress factions within the UDF. Thomas Chazhikkadan of Kerala Congress (M) won four consecutive terms until 2006. The CPM broke through in 2011 with K Suresh Kurup, who retained the seat in 2016, improving his winning margin. In 2021, Vasavan won with a margin of around 14,000 votes.

This time, however, the Congress has reclaimed the seat from Kerala Congress, a move that has energised its workers, who even conducted a protest march to the DCC office in 2021 against the seat-sharing arrangement.

The UDF campaign has since centred on development concerns and the Sabarimala issue- areas where the CPM has faced sustained attacks. However, Left workers have mounted a counter, showing the photograph of the key accused in the Sabarimala case, Unnikrishnan Potti, with that of Sonia Gandhi. 

“Look at that picture and tell me who looted Ayyappa’s gold. It is the Congress. Vasavan is innocent,” said E N Muraleedharan Nair, a CPM leader from Aarpookara panchayat. He also alleged irregularities in funds collected for Wayanad rehabilitation, questioning the credibility of the Congress. "How can someone trust the Congress?" he asked. 

As the Sabarimala issue and competing development narratives shaped the final day of campaigning in Ettumanoor- one of the most closely watched contests in Kottayam- voters will now deliver their verdict in the CPM’s lone constituency in the district.