Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan responded to the challenge thrown by V Sivankutty, sitting MLA of Nemom constituency and Education Minister, regarding contesting as the UDF candidate from the same constituency.

Satheesan said he has no intention of contesting against Sivankutty. “He is a big person. He has said that I lack culture and standards. He is a person with great culture and standards. I have no dispute about that. He is a person of good standards. I am someone of lower standards. So where is the dispute? After calling me a person of lower standards, why issue a challenge?” Satheesan said.

“I have no intention of arguing or quarrelling. Because there are political narratives in this election, and they pierce the heart of the LDF. No one should try to divert attention from that issue,” Satheesan added.

A few days ago, Sivankutty had said that if Satheesan is truly anti–Sangh Parivar, he should be ready to contest as the UDF candidate from Nemom, a constituency where the BJP had once won. Sivankutty also said he hoped Satheesan would accept the invitation, if he has the courage to take on challenges, to strengthen the fight against communalism in the upcoming election.