A daily wage labourer in Kerala who has been protesting against a delay in receiving her social welfare pension will move the High Court against the Marxist party (CPM) mouthpiece Deshabhimani for “portraying her in a wrong light”.
Ms Mariyakutty, 86, is offended that a section of the media, including the ruling party-run Deshabhimani, criticised her protest with a begging bowl, a video of which went viral in her home district Idukki.
She was protesting against the delay in paying pension to her and others especially when crores of rupees were spent on celebrating Keralayeem – to mark the state’s birth during the first week of this month in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Soon after, news surfaced in Deshabhimani and other publications that Ms Mariyakutty owns 1.5 acres of land and two houses. They also reported that she has a daughter living in Switzerland.
The reports alleged that she joined ranks with the opposition Congress party to malign Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government’s reputation.
Ms Mariyakutty responded by taking the fight into the enemy camp. She approached the local village officer and submitted an application to assess her land and other assets.
After the due process of inspection, the authorities issued a certificate stating that she does not own any assets.
It was also found out that her daughter actually resides in Adimali, a town in Kerala, and not in Switzerland. The daughter, it seems, ekes out a living by selling lottery tickets.
On Wednesday, the CPM mouthpiece came out with a rejoinder and apologised for its report.
The media attention and alleged smear campaign have made her a star in her village.
“I am not going to sit idle as I want the 1.5 acres of land they mentioned. While I will keep one acre for myself, they (those who said that I own) can keep the remaining,” said Ms Mariakutty, a mother of four whose husband died 36 years ago.
“I will definitely file the case, as they portrayed me in a bad light. All I did was to beg as I did not get my social welfare pension – Is begging for a living wrong? I want to know.
“This news was circulated across the country. I need compensation for insulting me and my kids, and I won’t back down until they compensate for it.”
“Now, I am getting threats also, but I will go ahead with my case,” she asserted.
Indo-Asian News Service
