Kozhikode: Rajya Sabha MP and senior CPI (M) leader Elamaram Kareem on Friday came under attack from the BJP for allegedly targeting sprint queen P T Usha for her nomination to the Rajya Sabha. In an indirect reference to Usha's nomination, Kareem today said for a while, she was proving her eligibility to get nominated.
"Now, a person from Kerala has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. For a while, she has been trying to prove her eligibility to get nominated. That person has now proved that she has an additional eligibility, other than the one showcased in the Asiad,'' Kareem said at an event here, without naming Usha.
Kareem was talking at an event organised in protest against the arrests of civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar last month in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots cases. The senior Left leader also mentioned the nomination of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was part of the Bench which pronounced the Ayodhya verdict, to the Upper House immediately after his retirement.
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However, Union Minister V Muraleedharan lashed out at Kareem and said the comment on Usha was reprehensible. Muraleedharan said the country honoured the athlete for her commitment to sports and her achievements for the country. "He may be ignorant of what all the 'Payyoli Express' has done to Indian sports. But our country does not have any doubts on Usha's eligibility. He must withdraw his remarks and apologise," Muraleedharan said.
BJP State chief K Surendran also attacked Kareem and said only anti-national elements can insult such personalities. Meanwhile, another video of Kareem attacking RMP MLA K K Rema in a meeting held in remembrance of CPI(M) leader C H Ashokan at Onchiyam on Tuesday also came out today.
Kareem was heard saying that Rema's MLA post was a reward she received for backstabbing the CPI(M). Addressing the crowd, Kareem had said, "She should understand that her MLA post was a reward for backstabbing the CPI(M)". Ashokan, a Left leader, was an accused in the murder case of T P Chandrashekhar, husband of Rema. (PTI)
