Just saw this video from a school event in Thiruvananthapuram and honestly,it feels very wrong and uncomfortable to watch . What should have been a happy day for kids has turned into massive political fight.
The whole thing happened on Monday during Praveshanolsavam,which is the school admission festival,at Kattela Model Residential School . This is government school for children from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
And in the viral video,BJP MLA V. Muraleedharan is seen allegedly scattering sweets on a table for the students to pick up . The visuals just look bad,no other way to put it.
Naturally,the CPI(M) is now all over this. Former General Education Minister V . Sivankutty came out and said the MLA’s action was a "direct hit to the self-respect of the students" . He argued that a public representative needs to be role model and show some basic dignity .
And tbh,this is where it gets even more complicated.
Sivankutty also called out State Minister K.A. Thulasi,who was the primary guest at the function but apparently did nothing when this was happening . He called her silence serious lapse,saying people in power failed to correct act that hurt the dignity of children.
Few things standing out clearly in this case:
- incident happened at a tribal school during a public event called Praveshanolsavam .
- CPI(M) leader V. Sivankutty has demanded a public apology for alleged humiliation.
- Another minister,K.A. Thulasi,is also getting criticised for her silence during event.
But the Kerala BJP has a completely different take on this . They are saying the allegations are totally baseless and just political rivalry. Their supporters claim V. Muraleedharan just put the packet on table so children could take as many sweets as they wanted,instead of just one each .
And that's defense . But the Opposition is not buying it and is using this incident to talk about what they call social prejudice of the saffron party.
Honestly,intent matters,but optics also matter ah . Especially when you are dealing with children from marginalized backgrounds . Throwing sweets on a table… it just doesn't sit right,whatever the reason .
Now it's just one political party accusing another,and the actual event,the kids' festival,is completely lost in the noise…
