ALAPPUZHA: Senior CPM leader G Sudhakaran has reiterated his stance not to renew party membership despite efforts by the state leadership to make him reconsider his decision.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan personally called Sudhakaran over the phone in an attempt to pacify the latter. Govindan reportedly clarified that his recent remarks, including a ‘laugh’ in response to a media query, were not intended as a personal slight, and alleged that sections of the media wrongly reported the issue. He also urged Sudhakaran to renew his party membership.
However, Sudhakaran maintained his stand and informed the state secretary that he would not be renewing his membership.
Meanwhile, CPM general secretary M A Baby downplayed the developments, saying that Sudhakaran would not create difficulties for the party. He described Sudhakaran as a strength of the party and expressed confidence that nothing detrimental to the party would come from him.
Baby said Sudhakaran had only shared certain grievances, and urged the media not to exaggerate the matter. He added that the party would utilise Sudhakaran’s experience and capabilities in the upcoming elections, and that senior leaders, including himself, were in touch with him.
Reacting to the developments, Congress leader K C Venugopal said no discussions had taken place between the Congress and Sudhakaran. He told reporters in Alappuzha that Sudhakaran should decide his future course of action on his own, and that the Congress would respond once a decision is made.
Venugopal noted that Sudhakaran’s decision not to renew his membership was a personal one and that he had read his Facebook post, which reflected his experiences. He said Sudhakaran continues to stand firm on Communist ideals and is a mature leader capable of taking independent decisions.
Describing him as a leader loved by the people, Venugopal said it was up to the party to decide on matters such as candidature and seat allocation, adding that Sudhakaran enjoyed public support.
On Wednesday, Sudhakaran took a tough stand not to renew his primary membership as the party state secretary showed disrespect to him at a press meet. He declared his decision through a Facebook post and triggered a spate of discussions ahead of the ensuing assembly elections.
Sudhakaran is keeping a distance from the district leadership after he was denied the Ambalappuzha seat in the 2021 assembly elections. Later, the party allocated the seat to H Salam. Soon posters appeared in different parts of the constituency against Salam, and Sudhakaran’s opponents said he was behind it. This led to the intervention of the state leadership which initiated disciplinary action against him.
Adding to this, the party district leadership kept him away from various functions. All these led to Sudhakaran’s alienation from the party.