Palakkad: The family of Madhu, the tribal youth lynched in Attappadi in February, is in the midst of a desperate political tussle.

Amid all the hullabaloo, Malli, Madhu's mother, has vanished from her house in an apparent bid to escape the ire of the BJP and the CPM, the key contenders vying to extract mileage out of the Madhu factor.

The BJP had planned a Jeevan Raksha March from Attappadi. The party had planned to kick off the march by accepting the flag from Malli. However, when partymen trooped to Malli's house on Monday, she was not to be found there.

The BJP said the CPM was behind Malli's disappearance. However, sources said Malli could have gone to the hospital.

BJP sources said Malli had agreed to hand over the flag. The CPM had not reacted yet.

In Malli's absence, the BJP had to make do with the flag handed over by Madhu's sister Ambika. The march will end at Varapuzha in Kochi, where a 26-year-old youth had died in police custody. The BJP have named the march 'Chalo Varapuzha.'

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