Advocate Lisha Ranjjith, wife of Ranjith Srinivasan, said that after her husband’s murder, the organisation and the BJP supported them in everything. In an interview, Lisha said none of her relatives or neighbours asked them if they had food, only the organisation stood with them.
‘The organisation my husband believed stood with us. We usually celebrated Onam and Vishu in a grand manner. We used to keep vishukani and used to make two payasams. With his demise, all our celebrations ended. He used to wake up his children on the Vishu day to show the vishukani and used to be in the front for everything. We made kanji and chammanthi on the first vishu that came after his death.
All the pracharaks came home that day and had food with us. There are some brothers like that. They visit us on all festive days. They had not allowed us to worry. People in the organisation and BJP used to buy sweets for my children. None of our relatives and neighbours had asked us whether we bought Onakodi for the children.
‘They came with Onakodi for mother and children and leaves after a long time. They never used to talk about the case, they never reminded us about that. They crack jokes with the children. When the results of my daughter came, they visited us. They were the ones who arranged everything in the temple for my daughter’s arangettam.
My husband had told me once that you are brought here after marriage as a member of the Sangh family and not as a member of the Kunnumpuram family. Now it is true. When my eldest daughter was in the ICU, only they were there to pick and drop my younger daughter from school. My brother is in Bengaluru. He cannot come always. The organisation gave us courage. No matter what happens to me tomorrow, they will not abandon my children.’
‘Even now, when mother wakes up in the morning, she sheds tears thinking of her son. The police were in the house for almost two years. They were my mother’s relief. They used to feed her. If she refuses to eat, they will buy food for her or else will bring from their houses, but none of my neighbours never used to do that. We think it’s because of fear and we have done no harm to them. I don’t know how long this can go on. As long as I live, I will hold my mother and children together. Only on the day the verdict was pronounced in the case, his mother had food properly,’ said Lisha.
(The article was published on Keralakaumudi.com on February 07, 2024 and has been reproduced here)
