<p>A day after the Congress party went unconditional in its support for the JD(S) in an all-out effort to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka, the son of a senior Congress leader in neighbouring Kerala is in the middle of a controversy over his open backing of the BJP. Amal Unnithan – Bengaluru-based son of Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan – is being targeted by trolls on social media after he posted on Facebook that his vote was for the BJP.</p>.<p>“My vote for the BJP, my father’s vote for the Congress”, he posted on Tuesday and attached the image of a BJP flag with the post. Another post on his page, attached with the image of a glum-faced Congress President Rahul Gandhi – “see, he doesn’t have any airs even after making BJP win across Karnataka”, said the cheeky message – was also shared widely on social media.</p>.<p>Amal has removed both the posts from his page but the backlash has not stopped. He, however, has found some respite in the form of BJP supporters and those who feel that he should not be criticised for merely stating his political affiliation. The online attack has spilt over to the official Facebook page of Unnithan senior as well. Message trails on his posts have people go all sneery and sarcastic – “Forget the MLAs in Karnataka, the party leaders can’t even prevent their own sons from joining the BJP,” said one of the commenters.</p>.<p>The posts set off comments from Congress workers who “regretted” campaigning for Unnithan in Kundara where he contested, and lost, in the 2016 Assembly election. Supporters of Kerala’s ruling CPM have also joined in, telling Unnithan that he has lost his position to criticise the Left.</p>.<p>Rajmohan Unnithan, a leader also known for outspoken style, is a regular face of his party in Kerala’s prime-time television debates. Amal made his debut as an actor in the 2016 film <em>Paulettante Veedu</em>.</p>
<p>A day after the Congress party went unconditional in its support for the JD(S) in an all-out effort to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka, the son of a senior Congress leader in neighbouring Kerala is in the middle of a controversy over his open backing of the BJP. Amal Unnithan – Bengaluru-based son of Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan – is being targeted by trolls on social media after he posted on Facebook that his vote was for the BJP.</p>.<p>“My vote for the BJP, my father’s vote for the Congress”, he posted on Tuesday and attached the image of a BJP flag with the post. Another post on his page, attached with the image of a glum-faced Congress President Rahul Gandhi – “see, he doesn’t have any airs even after making BJP win across Karnataka”, said the cheeky message – was also shared widely on social media.</p>.<p>Amal has removed both the posts from his page but the backlash has not stopped. He, however, has found some respite in the form of BJP supporters and those who feel that he should not be criticised for merely stating his political affiliation. The online attack has spilt over to the official Facebook page of Unnithan senior as well. Message trails on his posts have people go all sneery and sarcastic – “Forget the MLAs in Karnataka, the party leaders can’t even prevent their own sons from joining the BJP,” said one of the commenters.</p>.<p>The posts set off comments from Congress workers who “regretted” campaigning for Unnithan in Kundara where he contested, and lost, in the 2016 Assembly election. Supporters of Kerala’s ruling CPM have also joined in, telling Unnithan that he has lost his position to criticise the Left.</p>.<p>Rajmohan Unnithan, a leader also known for outspoken style, is a regular face of his party in Kerala’s prime-time television debates. Amal made his debut as an actor in the 2016 film <em>Paulettante Veedu</em>.</p>