'Govindan master will return money'; pension challenge was just PR stunt, reveals Moideen

KOZHIKODE: A fresh controversy has erupted over the ‘pension challenge’ that took place during the Vikasana Munneta Jatha led by M. V. Govindan in Balussery. An elderly man, Moideen, who was seen donating his pension during the event, has now alleged that the visuals portraying the act as voluntary were part of a pre-planned public relations exercise.

The incident occurred when the Jatha reached Balussery last Monday. A video showing Moideen walking onto the stage and handing over his Rs 2,000 pension to Govindan quickly went viral on social media. In the footage, Moideen is heard saying that pension distribution would be stalled if the United Democratic Front (UDF) comes to power, and that the current government should therefore continue. The video also shows Govindan affectionately placing the money back into Moideen’s pocket.

However, Moideen has now claimed that the entire episode was pre-planned. “Some people forcibly took me to the stage and asked me to hand over the money. They told me that if I gave it, Govindan Master would return it,” he said.

Following Moideen’s revelations, the video, once celebrated and widely circulated by Left-leaning profiles, has now put the CPM on the defensive.

Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that the CPM’s “script” had failed and accused the party of misleading the public by staging such visuals with the help of PR agencies.