Sudhakaran, who is the face of the Congress in the district, is the voice of the party workers when they are being attacked by the CPM. In a tete-a-tete with Express Principal Correspondent MA Rajeev Kumar, he said Kannur will change its colour in this election in favour of the Congress. Excerpts:
Q: Will the delayed candidature affect the poll outcome?
A: No. We have already chalked out our campaign plan and the initial response from the public gives us the confidence to fire on all cylinders in the coming days. We are confident Kannur will change its colour this election in favour of the Congress.
Q: How will the Sabarimala and Periya twin murder case issues affect the election?
A: The Sabarimala issue will surely play a major part in this election as devotees feel they were betrayed and ditched by both the CPM and the BJP. They have realised whom they could trust under such situations. The stand taken by the Congress in the state was well accepted by the devotees. The Periya twin murder was not an isolated incident. The politics of violence by the CPM in this region will surely be an issue in this election.
Q: Whenever the CPM is accused of some political murders, they come up saying it is the party which had suffered the most by presenting a long list of martyrs. How could you counter that argument?
A. That’s quite natural. They always fight with the parties working in this region. In every political violence in this place, you can see the CPM’s involvement. They fight against all parties. Some of us are also thinking about moving court to ban this uncivilised party.
Q: You said the candidature of P Jayarajan would work in favour of the UDF in Kannur and Vadakara. Elaborate?
A: P Jayarajan was the all-powerful district secretary of Kannur till the elections. His absence from the constituency would surely work in my favour. The criminal setup which he has been taking along with him will be with him in Vadakara. So, that would make things easier for the Congress. And his candidature will make the issue of political violence alive in Vadakara constituency.
Q: EP Jayarajan alleged some Congress leaders having criminal backgrounds are trying to pose as Gandhians before the public. What is your reaction?
A: I was the DCC president of Kannur district for 11 years. During my tenure, only two CPM workers were killed in political violence. One was Nalpadi Vasu, who was killed by my gunman. The other murder happened during a retaliatory attack by the Congressmen when they were attacked. I was not an accused in both these incidents. Instead of repeating the same allegations, he should come up with something concrete.
Q: The LDF has an advantage of over one lakh votes in the 7 Assembly segments. How can you overcome that hurdle?
A: When I won in 2009, the majority of the LDF in these segments was a whopping 1.38 lakh. My victory margin in that election was around 40,000. The voting pattern of people differs when they vote for the LS. But, we are wary about the dirty tricks and practices of the CPM which they have been using successfully during all the previous polls. Unless they indulge in extensive fake voting, the CPM cannot get such a majority in Kannur.