Kareem invites Raghavan for debate

Face-to-face debate among Kozhikode Lok Sabha candidates highlights development claims and political ideologies in a lively exchange.

A face-to-face between the three major candidates for the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency on Monday ended up in Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Elamaram Kareem inviting M.K. Raghavan of the United Democratic Front (UDF) for an open debate on developmental activities or the lack of them in the constituency during the 15 years the latter had represented it in Parliament.

Mr. Kareem, during his introductory speech, had mentioned that there had been no significant developments in the constituency for which Mr. Raghavan could take credit. On the other hand, Mr. Raghavan highlighted a few projects, especially those at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, as his achievements, which was challenged by Mr. Kareem later. “Several of the developments that Mr. Raghavan takes credit for are actually the achievements of the State government when P.K. Sreemathi was Health Minister. Just because his name is mentioned on the plaque, he cannot take the credit for it,” Mr. Kareem said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Raghavan invited media persons to travel with him to personally assess the various Central projects he had brought to Kozhikode.

M.T. Ramesh of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), on the other hand, claimed that the past 10 years were when the maximum number of Central projects were brought to Kozhikode, and that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was responsible for it. He also did not miss the chance to throw his ball in. “The other two candidates have years of experience serving Kozhikode. Now, I shall take over so that they could take some rest,” he said, amid bouts of laughter from the audience.

While Mr. Kareem highlighted the need to have more people representing Leftist ideologies in Parliament to ensure stability for the Central government, Mr. Raghavan pointed out how only the Congress could lead an alternative government at the Centre.

All the three candidates took turns to take a dig at each other’s party on topics such as electoral bonds, Citizenship Amendment Act, and corruption charges.

Mr. Ramesh maintained that electoral bonds were transparent, and that there was well-documented contribution from corporates to political parties. However, Mr. Kareem stressed that it was the worst form of corruption and alleged that the Modi government had not kept any of its promises to people.