2 Kerala Congress lawmakers begin 24-hour fast in isolation

Two Congress lawmakers -- T.N. Prathapan (MP) and Anil Akkara (MLA) on Tuesday morning began a 24-hour fast to protest the way laws were used to confine them in isolation, while the same rule was not made applicable to State Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen.

Trouble broke out last week when five Congress lawmakers -- three MPs and two MLAs -- who visited the Walayar check-post in Palakkad on May 9 were asked to go for a two-week isolation, after a person who arrived from outside Kerala turned coronavirus positive.

Of the five, Prathapan and Akkara belong to Trissur, while the other three, Remya Haridas, V.K. Sreekantan (both MPs) and Shafi Parambil (MLA) belong to Palakkad district.

The Congress was up in arms after it came to light that Moideen had interacted with two persons, who have now turned Covid-19 positive, but the Trissur medical authorities did not ask him to go into isolation.

While Prathapan is on a 24-hour fast at his house, Akkara is in his office.

"I am extremely happy from the responses that I have got on the way how people have realised that the CPI-M is playing Covid politics by keeping us in isolation, when Moideen is not asked to undergo the isolation," said Akkara.

While the two are on fast sitting in isolation, top district Congress party leaders are on a protest before the Trissur collectorate.

"Now it has come to light that the person who later turned positive after entering Kerala at Walayar had come only at 10.30 a.m., while all these lawmakers had left that place by 10 a.m. So this is petty politics that's being played by the CPI-M," said Congress leaders on protest.

The Youth Congress leader, here had shown visuals of Moideen interacting with those who had arrived in Guruvayoor, where they were put in isolation, after arriving at Kochi on May 7 in the first evacuation flight from Abu Dhabi.