TrendingVideosIndia
Opinions | CommentEditorialsThe MiddleLetters to the EditorReflections
UPSC | Exam ScheduleExam Mentor
State | Himachal PradeshPunjabJammu & KashmirHaryanaChhattisgarhMadhya PradeshRajasthanUttarakhandUttar Pradesh
City | ChandigarhAmritsarJalandharLudhianaDelhiPatialaBathindaShaharnama
World | ChinaUnited StatesPakistan
Diaspora
Features | The Tribune ScienceTime CapsuleSpectrumIn-DepthTravelFood
Business | My MoneyAutoZone
News Columns | Straight DriveCanada CallingLondon LetterKashmir AngleJammu JournalInside the CapitalHimachal CallingHill View
Don't Miss
Advertisement

Vote theft: Cong disputes BJP's claim on 'Chaunderi', says it's a place name shared by many homes

In a Facebook post, Congress leader and Wayanad district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar said BJP leader Anurag Thakur's claim that a Hindu and a Muslim live in the same house was wrong
File photo

Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium

Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits
Yearly Premium ₹999 ₹349/Year
Yearly Premium $49 $24.99/Year
Advertisement

The local Congress leadership in Kerala's Wayanad district on Thursday disputed the BJP's claim that voters of multiple religions are registered in a house named "Chaunderi" in booth No. 41 of the Kalpetta Assembly segment, saying the saffron party was referring to the name of a place, and that many homes in the area share the same name.

Advertisement

The BJP on Wednesday claimed there were irregularities in voter registration in Priyanka Gandhi's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, as well as in the Rae Bareli, Diamond Harbour, and Kannauj parliamentary constituencies, and called on Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka, Abhishek Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav to resign as Lok Sabha MPs, alleging they secured victory through "vote chori" (vote theft).

Advertisement

In a Facebook post, Congress leader and Wayanad district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar said BJP leader Anurag Thakur's claim that a Hindu and a Muslim live in the same house was wrong.

"The issue he referred to is from my own hometown. The place once known as Chamundeswari Kunnu gradually came to be called "Chounderi" or "Chounderi Kunnu" over the years." Hindus, Christians, and Muslims all use "Chounderi" or "Chounderi Kunnu" as their family name in that area, he claimed.

"That does not mean they all live in the same house —such a foolish assumption should not be made."

Advertisement

"As you mentioned, those using the name ‘Chounderi Kunnu’ are not only Hindus and Muslims, but also Christians, as well as people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. That's just the way our land is, sir," Marakkar said.

The relatives of the voters mentioned in the list also said "Chounderi" was the name of a place derived from the Hindu deity Chamundeswari, and not the name of a house.

Advertisement
Show comments
Advertisement