Thiruvananthapuram: Launching a scathing attack on the opposition CPM, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday alleged that the Left party had deployed "Sangh Parivar-style tactics" to orchestrate communal polarisation for electoral gains during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Chief Minister’s remarks come less than 24 hours after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Jithin Bhaskar, a local leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI)—the youth wing of the CPM—in connection with the notorious 'Kafir screenshot' controversy that rocked the Vadakara constituency.


‘Hypocrisy exposed,’ says Chief Minister

Addressing the media, Satheesan stated that the investigation has completely vindicated the United Democratic Front (UDF). The fake screenshot, which emerged right before the polling date, urged voters not to back CPM candidate K K Shailaja by labeling her a 'kafir' (non-believer). The CPM had vehemently accused current Lok Sabha MP Shafi Parambil and UDF workers of creating the content.

"We maintained from the very beginning that the UDF was nowhere behind this malicious campaign. Now look at the sheer hypocrisy displayed by the CPM. The fake narrative was intentionally fabricated to sow deep communal divisions and sabotage the UDF candidate's chances. The CPM did exactly what the Sangh Parivar does during elections—polarise society for votes," Satheesan said.


SIT arrest plugs loophole in the case

The breakthrough in the case came after the newly formed Congress-led UDF government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to revisit the probe, acting on a formal request by Congress MLA Parakkal Abdulla to Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.

According to police sources, investigators traced the absolute origin of the viral digital file to a Left-affiliated WhatsApp group. The arrested person, Jithin Bhaskar, was not only the administrator of the WhatsApp group but allegedly the first person to upload and disseminate the controversial screenshot into the public domain. Bhaskar was formally arrested on Tuesday after an intensive round of questioning by the SIT.

PTI