They are known to be fierce rivals across Kerala’s colleges and universities and rarely see eye to eye. But earlier this week, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), student wings of the CPM and the Congress, respectively, buried their differences to send out a message of hope.
SFI workers in Karunagappally, a town in Kollam district, are raising funds for the treatment of Muhammad Rafi (22), a KSU worker whose kidneys are damaged. Another SFI leader, E Shanavas Khan, a former student body chairman of MSM College in Kayamkulam, has even offered to donate one of his kidneys for the transplant.
Rafi, a block committee member of the Kayamkulam unit of KSU, lives in a rented house with his mother, Rayihanath, who works as domestic help and is the only earning member in the family. While he’s currently undergoing dialysis, Rafi’s family needs at least Rs 10 lakh to pay for the transplant.
Sandeep Lal, the SFI area committee secretary, told The Indian Express, “Whenever we see Facebook posts of people seeking financial help for medical treatment, we share it through our Facebook page. The other day, when we saw Rafi’s post, we shared it immediately without thinking for a second. It doesn’t matter what party he belongs to. It’s our duty to help.”
