An open letter by a mother to CPM general secretary is going viral in social media. The letter, written by the mother of a congress MLA in Kerala is significant just for the reason that her husband was a follower of the communist party in Kerala and have contributed much to its growth and was addressed as a ‘Satan’ by CPM state secretariat member Baby John.
Here goes the letter:
Esteemed CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yachury,
I am the mother of Vadakkancherry MLA Anil Akkara. I don’t know if I can write a letter to a person in a high-rank like you, however, as a mother, there are some things you can not miss.
He was 56 when his father-in-law died in 2004 and I was 52 years old. It has been 16 years since my husband left me. When Appachan died in Coimbatore, Anil Akkara was the panchayat president. He was 32 then.
We are traditionally farmers. However, his father-in-law had been working as a driver in Dubai for some time. He returned home in 1998 and resumed farming. Appachan died in Coimbatore in 2004 after a farm he had leased for agricultural purpose.
My son’s politics and his father’s politics were two. You can find out by asking old comrades. The top leader of your party today called him Satan in a public meeting. My son, if he was educated, might have earned a job and lived a life so. However, like that of his father he preferred to serve the society.
I followed in the footsteps of his grandmother, who supported my father’s decision. If there are differences of opinion in the name of political activity, it can be criticized in that way. But the so-called offspring of Satan do not fit into the straightforward politics.
After the death of my husband, I used to go to the church at Ambakatte, two kilometers away, and prayed for others too. I include in my prayers that I will save my children from the temptations of Satan. I’m in pain when Baby John Mash, a leader in your party, uses a word that I always fear.
My son always referred to Baby John as Baby John Master. He always talks good about Baby John Master who accompanies him on his way home from Thiruvananthapuram. It is from the mouth of such a man that today my son is described as the seed of Satan. When you hear such a word from someone whom he always refers to respectfully, it is indeed shocking.
My family’s ‘savings’ are only debts that happened by serving others. Yet it is sad when you hear words you never want to hear like this. I am an older woman. I do not have the mental strength or health to hear about my son like this. We have achieved nothing with politics. My second son is still the driver at the taxi stand in front of Amala Hospital. Even at this age I still go to the fields and look after our farm. It was a relief for our family at least a little after his wife got a job.
I did not tell you to withdraw the words of Baby John Mash or to file a case against him. I just thought my fate would never come to anyone else. My son has gone through a lot of crises. It was through such experiences that he moulded his life and public life. I am the mother who gave him courage for all that. When I first heard the words of Baby John Mash, I was relieved that my son had not gone to work killing others. I believe that all my children are a gift from God. Good luck to you and your party.
No matter how your party tries to suppress it, my son will continue his style of social work. He cannot be eliminated even if all the leaders of your party gossip. All I can say is that you still need to be prepared to teach the lessons of etiquette. Or a lot of moms will have to grieve like this. This is what a political party must do if they respect women.
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