Kerala Chief Minister Decries Misuse Of Social Media For Targeting Political Foes

One day after the arrest of a local Congress official for allegedly engaging in online harassment targeting female family members of CPI(M) leaders, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his concerns about the misuse of social media to target political adversaries. Vijayan, a senior leader of the CPI(M), accused the Congress of spending significant sums and deploying special agencies in an attempt to manipulate public opinion through both social media and traditional media outlets.

During the inauguration of a party building in Trikaripur, Kasaragod, Vijayan criticized the Congress for their alleged attempts to spread false information and engage in personal and targeted attacks to tarnish the reputation of their political opponents. He called on CPI(M) workers to refrain from participating in such online personal attacks and encouraged them to focus on highlighting the state government's development initiatives and programs.

Vijayan emphasized the importance of maintaining civility in online discourse and stressed that social media should be used responsibly. He underscored the need for respectful communication that avoids insults or personal targeting.

The incident that prompted these remarks involved the arrest of Abin Kodankara, a 26-year-old Congress youth leader from Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram. He allegedly used a Facebook page called 'Kottayam Kunjachan' to share explicit images and derogatory comments about the family members of certain Left leaders. Vijayan pointed out that female family members of Left leaders have been subjected to vulgar online targeting.

The arrest of Kodankara is seen as evidence of the misuse of social media and the substantial financial resources being devoted to attacking political rivals. In his Facebook profile, Kodankara identified himself as the ward president of the Congress and featured numerous photos of himself with various senior party leaders.

This incident came to light when, on September 17, Amrutha Satheesan, the wife of CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim, filed a complaint against the Facebook page 'Kottayam Kunjachan,' alleging cyber harassment. The wife of the late CPI(M) youth leader P Biju and a female leader of the party from Palakkad also experienced online harassment on the same page and had sought police action against the individuals responsible for these criminal acts.