Palakkad, Sunday 6 February 2011: Sari distribution made headlines for the second consecutive day in the district today, with an attempt for distribution at Kannadi paving way for tension.

The sari distribution was scheduled to be held at Kannadi school under the banner of SNDP youth movement. Tension erupted as CPM workers took out a march to the venue, alleging wooing voters as the agenda behind the sari distribution.

The CPM activists later destroyed the chairs in the venue and threw the saris in the air. As tension mounted police intervened and took over the saris.

Earlier report on Saturday

The free distribution of saris at a function attended by Udayabhaskar, a probable BJP candidate in the Palakkad Assembly Constituency and a national council member of the BJP, has kicked up a controversy as the election code of conduct is in place.

Palakkad District Collector K V Mohan Kumar, who is also the District Electoral Officer, has directed Revenue Divisional Officer Manikandan, who is the returning officer of the Palakkad Assembly constituency, to inquire into the issue and give a report.

The function at Kodunthirapully on Saturday was organised under the joint auspices of ‘Spark’, a voluntary organisation, and the SNDP youth movement. At the function, around 800 saris were reportedly distributed free by Udayabhaskar.

Udayabhaskar, an industrialist based in Nagpur, hails from Allanalloor near Mannarkad in Palakkad. He had unsuccessfully contested the Parliament elections twice as a BJP candidate from Palakkad.

Udayabhaskar had managed to get 87,000odd votes in 1998 and 1,47,000 votes in 2004. Even when its former state president C K Padmanabhan contested the last Parliament election, the party could only get below 70,000 votes. (C K Padmanabhan had contested after the reorganisation of the Palakkad Parliamentary constituency).

The 2004 poll campaign of Udayabhaskar was a high decibel one. It was at this time that the BJP secured the highest votes from this Parliament seat. His political opponents had then charged that it was sheer money power which secured the BJP so many votes.

Meanwhile, former District Congress Committee president A V Gopinath has said he would submit a complaint to the District Collector on the free distribution of sarees since the model code of conduct is in effect.

(News agency)