Speaker blames unanswered calls for skipping Kanayi event; two UDF MLAs contradict him

Kasaragod: Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan's explanation that he skipped the unveiling of celebrated sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman's monumental work 'Victims' in Kasaragod on Friday because of a communication gap has been disputed by two UDF MLAs and the CPM-led district panchayat president, who have recounted a series of communications ahead of the event.

KPCC member and Udma MLA K Neelakandan, who coordinated the invitation, categorically rejected the Speaker's claim that his calls went unanswered. "What the Speaker said was not correct," Neelakandan told Onmanorama.

Manjeshwar MLA AKM Ashraf said he had personally spoken to the Speaker and urged him to attend. District Panchayat President Sabu Abraham, meanwhile, said the invitation had been formally sent to the Speaker's office, and that follow-up calls were also made.

'Victims', a tribute to the endosulfan victims of Kasaragod, was commissioned by the District Panchayat.

Thiruvanchoor said on Saturday that he had abandoned his Kasaragod visit after failing to get a response from the organisers.

Speaking to reporters in Kottayam, he said he had made several attempts to contact "the people who invited him" but received no clear response. He said he cancelled his train ticket to Kasaragod at 9.32 pm on Thursday, November 12, after one final attempt to reach the organisers failed. "I have the phone numbers of everyone I called on my mobile, but it would not be right to personally insult anyone," Manorama Online quoted him as saying. He also said his tour diary and train ticket could be checked to verify his planned visit.

Kasaragod District Panchayat President Sabu Abraham said the local body had sought Congress MLA Neelakandan's help to secure the Speaker's appointment. After the MLA conveyed the date, the district panchayat board met on November 6 and prepared the programme. The formal invitation and accompanying letter were sent to the Speaker's office on November 9 at 12.25 pm, he said.

Abraham said he called the Speaker's secretary around 8 pm on November 11 to confirm the Speaker's travel arrangements for the following night, ahead of the November 13 programme.

Sources said Sabu was told by the Speaker that he had tried calling Neelakandan earlier that day but could not reach him. They said the MLA's phone had been switched off briefly in the afternoon as he was unwell and had a headache. "But that was on November 11, and the Speaker's travel was on the night of November 12," said a source.

Abraham said he alerted Neelakandan about the Speaker trying to reach him. "The MLA called back the Speaker in the morning itself," Abraham said.

Later that day, district panchayat Congress member Harshad Vorkady learnt that the Speaker might not come to Kasaragod and informed Manjeshwar MLA Ashraf. "I immediately called the Speaker and told him that this was Kanayi's programme and that he must attend," Ashraf told Onmanorama. "He said he would come some other time, and I expressed my disappointment."

When Onmanorama contacted Thiruvanchoor, he stood by his version. On being asked whether he had called Sabu Abraham, the Speaker said he had contacted the “people who invited him”.

When asked why he was trying to reach them when the event had already been scheduled, he said he wanted confirmation.

Abraham said the Speaker was referring to Neelakandan. When told that Neelakandan had denied any communication gap, Thiruvanchoor replied: “That’s all right. You may check my tour programme.”

Thiruvanchoor eventually skipped the Kasaragod event but travelled to Kannur, where he unveiled a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Jawaharlal Nehru Public Library and Research Centre at 4 pm on Friday.

His absence had triggered an impromptu protest at the Kasaragod venue. Artists, art critics and art lovers who had travelled from different parts of Kerala refused to let another politician inaugurate 'Victims', insisting that Kanayi himself unveil the work.

The 40-foot sculpture, depicting two children clinging to their mother, is a tribute to the victims of the endosulfan tragedy. The District Panchayat said it would develop the area around the sculpture as Kanayi Square for the public to spend time.