A huge poster erected outside a local shop in Kerala has now become the subject of a heated political debate.
Glance at the poster and it is evident that it belongs to a political party. The considerable amount of red on the poster distinctly marks it as one belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)]. But was it really put up by the CPI (M)?
This poster put up in Nedukandam in Idukki district, announcing the party's area committee meeting, has now turned into an embarrassment for the party. Contrary to party posters carrying the faces of prominent Communist leaders including the state's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, this one had none of the state-level or national-level leaders, but had North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on it.
The BJP, for its part, has been quick to resort to political mudslinging, accusing the CPI (M) in Kerala of aligning its ideologies to that of the aggressive North Korean leader.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra first shared the photograph of the poster on Twitter, adding: No wonder they have converted Kerala into "Killing fields for their opponents!"
"Hope the left is not planning to launch missiles at the RSS,BJP offices as their next gruesome agenda!" he wrote.
Kim Jong-un finds place in CPM’s posters in Kerala!!
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) December 17, 2017
No wonder they have converted Kerala into Killing fields for their opponents!
Hope the left is not planning to launch missiles at the RSS,BJP offices as their next gruesome agenda! pic.twitter.com/6LHf1dVtAy
Soon, social media was abuzz with pro-right wing users pulling up the CPI (M) and saying that the left party's "real face" has now been exposed.
No wonder cpim kerla will ask for separate country and king as a kim jong un......time has come to neutralise all these anti national element...
— Kamal Sarkar (@kamalsarkar73) December 17, 2017
Cpim hails Kim jong-un. What is this Mr @SitaramYechury ? Please explain.@cpimspeak https://t.co/H5WsRdEiZO
— Abhijit Dutta (@adutta10) December 17, 2017
However, the CPI (M) has claimed no knowledge or involvement in putting up the poster. Speaking to TNM, Idukki district secretary K Jayachandran denied having to do anything with the poster that has Kim Jong-Un on it.
"This has come to our notice, but the poster was not put up by the party. The local area committee had no idea or involvement in this. It was some local people who did so and is not in line with the party's views. Kim Jong-Un is not our leader," the CPI (M) leader asserted.
He said that the local people involved in putting up the poster were not party workers.
Once the incident was brought to his notice, he has asked for the poster to be removed, Jayachandran said.
"It has been removed now. And we will have to look into who was behind erecting it," he said.
Asked about the accusations by the BJP in the matter, Jayachandran said, "They can say whatever they want, it doesn't matter to us. We have already made it clear that it was not the party workers who were behind this. All accusations by the BJP are useless."