“Mariyakutty, the woman who led a solo struggle against the ruling government of Kerala,” this is how Mariyakutty, an 86-year-old woman from Kerala’s Idukki district was introduced at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Women Empowerment with Modi’ (Sthree Sakthi Modikkoppam) program on Wednesday, January 3. Sitting on the stage with Mariyakutty was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, kickstarting the BJP’s campaign in Kerala. Mariyakutty is a daily wage labourer who went on a ‘begging strike’ against the ruling CPI(M) (Communist Party of India - Marxist) government after her pension stopped coming a few months ago. In a short period, she has earned her place in the BJP’s functions as a vocal critic of the Pinarayi government and a supporter of the Modi government.
Mariyakutty made her entry to the stage while Sobha Surendran, State Vice President of the Kerala BJP was delivering her speech. Seeing Mariyakutty, Sobha paused and welcomed her as the audience gave a thunderous applause. Prime Minister Modi too greeted her when he took over the stage. She shared the stage with several others including dancer-actor Shobana, cricketer Minnu Mani, retired athlete and Member of Rajya Sabha P T Usha, leading clothing retailer Beena Kannan, and singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi.
Mariyakutty’s prominence at events like these shows her popularity among the general public and also serves as a political indicator of how her open protest against the CPI(M) government has been capitalised by rival political parties.
From an ordinary woman to the Opposition’s mascot
Mariyakutty came to public attention a few months ago with her ‘begging strike’ against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of Kerala. She then moved to the Kerala High Court after her pension under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme was unpaid for five months. The pension amount of Rs 1,600 per month, she said, is her sole source of income for buying medicines, food, and other essentials.
A video of her protest, with a begging bowl in her hand as a symbolic representation of the unpaid pension, went viral and invited both solidarity as well as trolls. She was accused of colluding with other political parties and accepting money from them. Mariyakutty has used expletives in her critique of the Kerala CM and has been called out for it several times.
Meanwhile, Dhesabhimani, the mouthpiece of the CPI (M) accused her of having 1.5 acres of land in her name along with two houses and also reported that her daughter was well-settled in Switzerland. These false accusations became hotly debated on social media and CPI(M) handles accused her of joining hands with the Congress.
Later, on November 15, Deshabhimani published an apology and rejoinder for publishing fake news.
Then she approached the High Court, and, on December 21, the Court criticised the government for neglecting the needs of an old woman. “She is a victim of the government’s iron fist. How will commoners survive in this state?” the HC asked.
On the same day, the officials from the Adimali Service Co-operative Bank reached her residence and handed over Rs 1,600.
Meanwhile, Suresh Gopi, actor and former member of the Rajya Sabha, who is a prospective candidate of the BJP from the Thrissur constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, announced reimbursement of her pension and paid a visit to her house.
A few days ago, Mariyakutty also attended a Christmas program organised by the Minority Morcha, the minority wing of the Thrissur district BJPt. During her speech, she brutally criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and praised PM Modi. She also said that she would go to the program of any political party except the CPI(M).
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