Thiruvananthapuram: A senior Youth Congress official on Tuesday slammed former Kerala party President V.M. Sudheeran for “playing spoilsport” for the party, “all in the name of his image” and termed it the primary cause of the party’s poor performance in the state.
Youth Congress Vice President Rijil C. Makutty went hammer and tongs against Sudheeran in a Facebook post, listing the “damage” that he has caused to the party in Kerala.
Makutty was reacting to the strong criticism that Sudheeran raised against present state chief K. Sudhakaran, who is also the Lok Sabha member from Kannur.
In a TV interview telecast recently, Sudheeran said that Kannur from where Sudhakaran hails had four party legislators and now it has only two and that Sudhakaran acts in a “fascist” style.
In response, Makutty asked if Sudheeran, who was born in Trissur, became an MP from Alappuzha and lives in Thiruvanathapuram, “knows how many legislators were there in his home district at one point of time and how many are there now. (At one point, Congress was very strong in Trissur and today, it has just one legislator) Does he know it and it would be better if he knows that and speaks about Kannur.”
“When Oommen Chandy was the Chief Minister (2011-16), Sudheeran openly said he was the Leader of Opposition and not the President of the Congress. Everyone knows that then Sudheeran was after the Congress Ministers and the government, which spoiled the chances of the Chandy government getting a second term. It’s surprising that such a then president, is speaking against Sudhakaran,” wrote Makutty.
“It’s because he is jealous of Sudhakaran as by now numerous ordinary Congress workers have now got a feel that they are not orphaned, as with Sudhakaran taking over, it has instilled a sense of confidence on the cadres. And my humble view is that with the party under Sudhakaran hitting a path or revival, please don’t play spoilsport. The party will not grow with the attitude that you had as you are worried of your image only….”
“All remember the harsh words you spoke against the then State Excise Minister K.Babu, which even the then Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan never said and it resulted in his defeat. You took over as the President and then caused havoc to the party and then you resigned and today your only aim is to remain in the news and this is known to all. One will have to believe that you do not wish to see the party do well and that’s why you are attacking the present president of the party,” Makutty added.
It is believed that one reason for the defeat of the Chandy government in 2016 was the manner in which Chandy, getting annoyed with Sudheeran over the issue of giving new bar licenses, in a jiffy, announced closure of all bars except those at five star hotels.
Now 73 Sudheeran is a former legislator, state Minister, Speaker and MP who went in political wilderness after his defeat in the 2004 polls, but got a new lease of life when he was surprisingly named as the new state chief in 2014.
He was in the news recently when he quit from the Political Affairs Committee and also as an AICC member, expressing his ire over the appointment of Sudhakaran and his style of functioning.
