Suresh Gopi violated modelcode of conduct: CEO Meena

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate in

Thrissur

who reportedly sought votes in the name of Lord Ayyappa, has violated the model

code of conduct

, said chief electoral officer Teeka Ram Meena.

Thrissur district collector and returning officer T V Anupama had issued a notice to the candidate on Saturday based on a complaint she received. “The district collector has the right to take action for any violation of model of conduct. She gave a notice since prima facie there appears to be a violation,” Meena said on Sunday.

Gopi, at an election convention in Thrissur, had reportedly campaigned in the name of Sabarimala and Lord Ayyappa. He had used the word ‘Ayyan’ while seeking votes. However, BJP countered the allegation against Gopi and said ‘Ayyan’ also means ‘brother’. “The candidate was referring to ‘brother’ when he used the word Ayyan,” the party leadership said.

But Meena refused to accept the BJP version. “They can have their own interpretations. But no one is allowed to use the name of God during election campaigns. Everyone has the liberty to use the Sabarimala issue or the woman entry issue, but not the name of God,” the CEO reiterated.

He continued to say that using God’s name during election campaigns would “disturb the social harmony”. He also questioned the need for a “certain political party” to rope in God for election campaigns.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders have come out strongly against the Thrissur collector for slapping the notice. BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai also criticized the CEO for making a statement against Suresh Gopi.

“If Gopi has any complaint against the district collector, he is allowed to approach the appellate authority. But the appellate authority itself has already made it clear that it was a violation of model code of conduct. This cannot be accepted,” said Pillai.

Kummanam Rajashekaran, the BJP candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, also came out in support of Gopi and said there was nothing wrong in using the name of Lord Ayyappa during election campaigns.