Rebel election hopeful Kenny Bascome has launched an attack on the man who replaced him as a PLP candidate -- for hurting his business.

Mr. Bascome opted to stand as an Independent in the St. George's North seat when he was overlooked by the Progressive Labour Party to be Jennifer Smith's running mate.

Dreadlocked Delaey Robinson -- pictured in a now-notorious newspaper advert questioning his credentials to be Finance Minister -- got the nod from PLP chiefs to stand in the consituency.

But Mr. Bascome, who chose to run on his own despite appeals from Opposition officials, last night claimed PLP supporters had started boycotting his businesses.

And he blamed Mr. Robinson for not telling those people "that was not the way to go''.

Mr. Robinson revealed last week that he had been told some PLP supporters had started boycotting Mr. Bascome's businesses.

Mr. Bascome, 50, and his wife run Kippies Place and The Cookery, a restaurant and bar on Water Street. He is also the co-owner of the Sports-A-Wear sports store on Bridge Street.

He told The Royal Gazette last night: "I have seen a drop-off in trade. I can't really say how much but I know now of certain people who are staying away.

"As an aspiring politician, if Delaey Robinson feels maligned by an advert, I would have thought that he would have advised those people staying away from my businesses that that was not the way to go.'' Mr. Bascome, who also runs the concessions stand at Tobacco Bay, said he had five staff -- four at the restaurant and one at the sports shop.

He added: "Mr. Delaey Robinson is complaining about how he was maligned by that ad that appeared in the paper.

"How does he feel now that the PLP supporters are boycotting my businesses? He claimed he had been told by certain individuals that they were taking part in the boycott.

"In my interpretation, he's either directly or indirectly inducing them to do that by not advising them not to do it.'' Mr. Bascome said he believed in "the youth of Bermuda'', having sponsored the soccer programme at St. George's Cricket Club for 13 years and made contributions to both the East End Primary School and the St. David's Cricket Club soccer team.

"Those children have benefited from our civic mindedness,'' he said. "But now they are the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of those being encouraged to have nothing to do with me.

"We will still continue to be the civic-minded individuals that we are because we have the youth of Bermuda in our hearts.'' Mr. Robinson denied he had encouraged anybody to boycott his rivals' businesses.

He added: "There's been not a word from my mouth. That was a spontaneous thing.

"People have told me about it but I have never encouraged anybody not to deal with him. Moreover, I will send him some business.

"I haven't even met half of the people who are doing it.''