Kannur: A CPM branch committee meeting held at a temple office on September 10 has sparked controversy in the Kannur district. The meeting, organised by the CPM Thodeekkalam branch committee at the Thodeekalam Neelakandi Bhagavati Temple under the Malabar Devaswom Board, has triggered conflict between the CPM and local believers.
Hindu Aikya Vedi members protested against holding the event on temple premises and recorded the gathering on video.
"CPM, which has no connection to the temple and often ridicules believers, held a meeting at the temple office. The unfinished building is meant only for temple-related functions. They conducted a party meeting there. We haven't filed a police complaint because we don't expect a fair investigation. The party workers also disrupted a Vinayaka Chathurthi procession in the area a few days ago," said CO Manesh, Hindu Aikya Vedi's Kannur district general secretary.
In response, CPM members seen in the video claimed they had approval from the relevant authorities to conduct the meeting.
"The branch committee meeting was actually held at a party member's house near the temple. We only came to the temple office to borrow chairs, as there weren’t enough at the house," CPM local leadership explained.
However, Hindu Aikya Vedi members contested this, arguing that the banner displayed at the meeting hall clearly showed that the event had been planned and held at the temple office.