Former MLA P.V. Anvar further escalated his offensive against UDF chairman and opposition leader V.D. Satheesan, questioning whether the Nilambur byelection is being strategically used to sideline him.
“Is this an attempt to remove P. V. Anvar from the political equation, or is the real aim to bring down Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan?” Anvar asked while speaking to reporters.
Satheesan is arguably the biggest roadblock to Anvar’s entry into the UDF.
On Wednesday, Anvar accused the UDF of failing to honour a previous promise to make the AITC an associate member, and claimed that the Congress leadership in Kerala is pushing his political career toward “euthanasia.” He stated that his last hope now rests with AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal.
Anvar now alleges that it was Satheesan who obstructed his planned meeting with Venugopal. He claimed that despite waiting for two hours in Kozhikode at Venugopal’s request, the meeting was abruptly cancelled.
“K.C. has his limitations. He wanted to end the matter amicably. But the way things unfolded shows there is a hidden agenda,” Anvar alleged.
Amid rising tensions, Anvar declared that he would no longer clarify his political stance to suit Satheesan’s expectations.
“At this point, there is no question of further discussions with the UDF,” he said. He also accused Satheesan of threatening to resign from his post to pressure Venugopal to cancel the meeting.
The core of the conflict traces back to Anvar’s controversial comments against Aryadan Shoukath, the UDF candidate in Nilambur. Satheesan reiterated that the remarks must be retracted and made it clear there would be no compromise on that demand.
“Let the other allegations against me be there, but the comment against the candidate must be withdrawn,” Satheesan asserted.
Satheesan, however, declined to comment on Anvar’s new allegations. The UDF is expected to take a final decision regarding Anvar on Friday.
With Anvar’s attempt to join the UDF facing stiff resistance, his supporters have started flooding Nilambur with flex boards bearing his image—an indication that Anvar isn’t backing down without a fight.