THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A day after lashing out at the Congress state leadership at the KPCC executive meeting, senior leader V M Sudheeran on Sunday refused to take his foot off the pedal.
Responding to K Sudhakaran’s statement that he has scant regard for his allegations, Sudheeran said that the state party chief would have to correct his statements — something that he has been doing quite frequently — made at a press conference after the meeting.
Speaking to reporters outside Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station on his return from Kochi, Sudheeran maintained that he had not left the Congress, as claimed by Sudhakaran, and has been attending party programmes in various districts over the last two years.
Sudhakaran was also uncompromising in his comments to mediapersons at Nedumbassery airport before leaving for medical treatment in the United States. It was clear that the two, who have constantly been at loggerheads, have refused to bury their differences.
Sudheeran said he had high hopes when the new team led by Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan took over the reins of the state unit. The 75-year-old had an unceremonious exit after the 2016 assembly election when both the ‘I’ and ‘A’ factions allegedly ganged up against him, and his words echoed the hurt.
“In 2016, if candidates were were selected based on merit and experience, the UDF would have returned to power. I’d high hopes when Sudhakaran and Satheesan arrived at the helm. But they gave scant regard to the views of senior leaders. I raised this with the central leadership and received an assurance from Rahul Gandhi that he would address the issues. Unfortunately, two years have since elapsed with no change in the situation,” said Sudheeran.
“Sudhakaran showed lack of decorum, while speaking to reporters after the party executive, which is expected from a senior leader like him who holds a responsible position,” said Sudheeran. “If Sudhakaran harboured any grievance against me, he should have laid it out at the party forum,” he added.
Sudheeran was also unsparing of Deepa Dasmunshi, who was recently named the party’s Kerala in-charge, who said, at the same press conference, that the former had left the executive meet after his speech. “This is untrue,” noted Sudheeran.
Speaking at Kochi airport, Sudhakaran said he was not mindful of Sudheeran’s allegations against the state leadership. “I’m rubbishing Sudheeran’s claims, which were unwarranted. That is his culture,” he added.