Thiruvananthapuram: In a setback for the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the run-up to the Kerala polls, former minister G. Sudhakaran, who has been at odds with the party, announced that he would contest as an Independent from Alappuzha’s Ambalappuzha constituency.
Sudhakaran refuted rumours that he would contest with the support of the United Democratic Front (UDF). He said nobody has approached him extending support and that he would decide on it later based “on the nature of the support.”
“I will not talk against the party or any individual. If someone talks against me, people will respond to it,” the senior Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), leader told a press conference in Alappuzha.
He alleged that he was sidelined in the party and the Alappuzha district committee for a long time. The party’s mouthpiece Deshabhimani does not carry news related to him, he alleged.
A Public Works Department (PWD) minister in the first cabinet of Pinarayi Vijayan, Sudhakaran is associated with the CPI(M) for many decades. The former state committee member was demoted to a branch committee member in 2022 due to an internal tussle and has since distanced himself from the party.
The rift came to the fore once again last week after the senior leader said he would not renew his party membership.
On Thursday, Sudhakaran alleged that the 21-page report prepared by former Rajya Sabha member Elamaram Kareem following the 2021 Assembly election, on internal disputes against him in the district, did not include his inputs and relied only on those who had levelled the allegations.
In response, CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby said Sudhakaran’s decision to leave the party is unfortunate and that the party would never insult the leader as he is an “asset” to it.
“The party is continuing with finalising its candidates. Amid this, Sudhakaran, who has long been associated with the party and guided all of us, deciding to contest independently is unfortunate. The party will discuss the rest of the matter,” Baby said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who also hails from Alappuzha, said Sudhakaran was targeted by CPI(M) members for the past few years, which also resulted in his demotion from district committee member to a branch-level functionary.
“We heard that Sudhakaran is contesting independently. But the UDF decision on this will be taken after discussion. I personally feel a leader like him should be in the Assembly. But we will discuss what the party and the UDF will do,” he said, adding that the party is currently discussing its candidate for the constituency.
Not considered?
A long-time CPI(M) leader, Sudhakaran’s rift with the party slowly began after the 2021 Assembly polls in which he did not participate. During the next year’s organisational reshuffle, he was dropped from the state committee, after which he remained a member of the branch committee in Alappuzha.
The latest controversy began last week after CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan reportedly said “there is no consideration” when asked about Sudhakaran’s candidature. Sudhakaran shared this video, along with videos of journalists laughing soon after Govindan’s response, and expressed disagreement in a Facebook post.
He said that since being removed from the state committee in 2022, he was working only as a branch committee member in Alappuzha and that the district leadership ignored him ever since.
“Now, the state secretary himself, in response to a question at a press conference, used an inappropriate expression implying that I am not someone who deserves any consideration, and even laughed about it,” he said in the Facebook post.
The CPI(M) tried to pacify him, with central committee member C. S. Sujatha, Baby, and other district functionaries meeting him at different times but to no avail.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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