By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : It is three days since People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nasser Mahdhani was released from jail but except for the Muslim League’s P.K. Kunhalikutty no other United Democratic Front (UDF) leader has met him.
None of the UDF leaders attended Mahdhanis’ public rally on Thursday night, which saw three state ministers, including Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, sitting on the dais.
Mahdhani, who was acquitted of charges of involvement in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings, is undergoing treatment at a hospital here.
UDF convenor P.P. Thankachen told reporters here Saturday that he was not invited to the PDP rally and did not know if other UDF leaders were invited.
Kunhalikutty, general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), said he had not been invited and did not attend the meeting.
Poonthura Siraj, working chairman of PDP, told IANS that the reason for holding a public meeting was because PDP wanted the presence of all leaders from all parties.
“We even decided not to name it a PDP meeting and instead named it a public meeting. We had contacted (Leader of Opposition) Oommen Chandy but since he was away, his office deputed another Congress leader. But he did not turn up. We also contacted the IUML and former minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju was supposed to attend,” said Siraj.
Siraj said that despite Mahdhani being in a city hospital, except for Kunhalikutty not a single UDF leader had come to meet him.
“Chandy is here, state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala is here and so are the others, but no one has yet visited him,” said Siraj.
Speaking on Thursday, Mahdhani had clearly indicated that UDF was keeping its distance because his party had pledged support to the LDF before the 2006 assembly polls.
In retaliation, the PDP has decided not to invite any UDF leader to Kollam, Mahdhani’s home district, on Sunday for a public reception at which five state ministers, all hailing from Kollam, will participate.
Kunhalikutty maintained that Mahdhani’s return would not pose a threat to the IUML because it has been working as a political party for several decades and had its own programmes.
Meanwhile, Mahdhani is to be discharged from a hospital Sunday after a medical check-up. He is to get a new artificial limb in place of the right leg he lost in a bomb attack 15 years ago.
On Monday, he has to appear before a Kochi magistrate who will hear 20 cases against him, said Siraj.