Kerala CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem criticises athlete P T Usha’s nomination to Rajya Sabha

Elamaram Kareem also referred to the Rajya Sabha nomination of former SC Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was part of the bench which pronounced the verdict on Ayodhya case, in 2020 immediately after his retirement.

Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem and P T Usha. (Photo: Facebook: Elamaram Kareem/Express File)

Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) central committee member Elamaram Kareem Friday came out against the nomination of sprint queen P T Usha to the Rajya Sabha.

Taking an indirect dig at Usha’s nomination, Kareem said, “Now, a person from Kerala has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. For a while, she has been proving her eligibility to get nominated to the Rajya Sabha”. The person has proved that she has some other eligibility, apart from the eligibility showcased in Asiad (Asian Games),’’ said Kareem, without naming the athlete.

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The MP was addressing an event in Kozhikode, Kerala, in protest against the arrests of civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar last month on charges of criminal conspiracy and forgery regarding 2002 Gujarat riots cases.

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Kareem was commenting on the situation on how those behaving in favour of Sangh Parivar are allegedly rewarded. He made the reference to Usha’s nomination after mentioning about the nomination of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was part of the bench which pronounced the verdict on Ayodhya land dispute case, to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 immediately after retirement.

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Usha was the chairperson of the organising committee of BJP national executive held in Kozhikode, her home district, in 2016. She had then denied any political intention behind heading the organising committee of the BJP event.

The comments by the CPI(M) leader have invited sharp criticism from the BJP. Lashing out at the MP, BJP state president K Surendran said Kareem has insulted the pride of the country. “P T Usha has made immense contributions to Indian athletics over the past four decades. Only anti-national elements can insult such personalities out of their narrow politics. It is unbecoming of a people’s representative,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a tweet on Thursday had congratulated Usha. “Hearty congratulations to PT Usha on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. As an illustrious athlete and inspiring mentor, you have done Kerala and India proud. Hope your term will be beneficial for our sports and will help to strengthen our secular democracy,’ he said in the tweet.