Went to attend mothers' meet: CPI-M mayor after courting controversy on attending 'RSS' event

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 8 (IANS) After being caught on the wrong foot, the CPI-M's mayor of the Kozhikode Corporation, Beena Phillip on Monday defended her participation in an RSS event, saying that she went to attend a mothers' meet.

The Congress took this opportunity to slam the CPI-M. Kozhikode district Congress president K.Praveen Kumar said that the clandestine nexus between the CPI-M and the RSS was now out in the open.

"Not only did the CPI-M mayor take part in the RSS organised meeting, she also criticised the way children in Kerala are handled by their families. Her participation in the Balagokulam meeting exposes the links that the CPI-M and the Sangh parivar are having," said Kumar.

However, Phillip said she has always had a secular outlook. "I studied in a Muslim management school and have the best of relations even now. Being a mayor, I cannot have any sort of bias. All I did was to attend a mothers' meeting and am really sad to see the media twisting the whole thing on what I spoke. Maybe those who did it have vested interest," said Phillip.

In reply to a question on if she had taken the permission of her party, CPI-M, to attend it, she said no, "as there is no such direction to me. As I am the mayor I will be going to numerous functions".

Now all eyes are on how the CPI-M views this and in the coming days, an official explanation might come out.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had organised a mothers' meet, named Balagokulam in Kozhikode last week and had invited the mayor also.