Sudhakaran wins space and time in Kerala media, hearts of Congress workers

The luxury of simultaneous non-stop live telecasts, so far available only to Pinarayi, was shared by Sudhakaran on the third day of assuming the new office.
KPCC president K Sudhakaran at the press meet in Kochi on Saturday. (Photo | Albin Mathew, EPS)
KPCC president K Sudhakaran at the press meet in Kochi on Saturday. (Photo | Albin Mathew, EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Politics in the post-truth era demands leaders dominate in legacy and new media spaces alike. Using the media space effectively and communicating with voters directly was one of the major reasons that propelled the LDF to power the second consecutive term.

Political analysts point out that regular press conferences convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the 2018 flood and Covid pandemic played a crucial role in reinforcing the LDF’s agenda among voters.

Thanks to Pinarayi, more than half-a-dozen news channels in Kerala aired the press conference of new Congress state president K Sudhakaran live for over an hour without a single commercial break on Saturday.

The luxury of simultaneous non-stop live telecasts, so far available only to Pinarayi, was shared by Sudhakaran on the third day of assuming the new office.

It may be noted that even the most serious press conferences convened by Sudhakaran’s predecessor Mullappally Ramachandran were aired live only by Congress mouthpiece Jaihind TV.

The change of KPCC leadership from flight mode to fight mode was visible on social media where proud Congress workers competed to share the ‘punch dialogues’ delivered by their president as short video clips.

“Perfect Ok”, commented Youth Congress vice-president KS Sabarinadhan in his FB page soon after Sudhakaran finished his press conference. KSU state president K M Abhijith echoed Sudhakaran and challenged Pinarayi to prove his allegation against Sudhakaran.

Sudhakaran also made it clear that he was not ready to be pressurised by the media. During the press conference, he slammed the reporter of the vernacular weekly and called him a ‘cheat’ for publishing an off-the-record conversation. At one point, he fumed at a journalist for asking inconvenient questions.

“Who is messaging you questions via WhatsApp? Are you getting questions from AKG Centre or C H Kanaran Memorial?” he asked. So far, Pinarayi was the only leader in Kerala who was unfazed by the negative image in media.

Breaking away from his predecessors’ belief that being pampered by media was important, Sudhakaran conveyed a clear message that he would rather prefer a place in the hearts of ordinary workers than get a page one picture published in a mainstream newspaper. 

With both leaders venting out their minds in the first round, political circles are now asking “what’s next”.

Sources in the CPM said Pinarayi is unlikely to extend the controversy further as the CPM leadership is cautious about Sudhakaran getting undue mileage out of controversy. On Saturday evening, central committee member A K Balan went live on Facebook to reply to Sudhakaran’s revelations.  

Balan’s blooper during the live that Vijayan didn’t approach the police with a complaint about the plot to kidnap his kids as the CPM had a system to take care of such issues is sure to ignite another round of controversy.

EP Jayarajan Blasts State Congress Chief

Kannur: K Sudhakaran is person with an ugly and detestable mindset with hallucinatory issues, said CPM central committee member E P Jayarajan.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday,  in connection with Sudhakaran’s outburst against Pinarayi Vijayan, he said that Sudhakaran is a protector of criminals and quotation gangs.

‘Register Attempt To Murder Case Against CM’

ThiruvananthapuramUnion Minister V Muraleedharan has demanded that a case of attempt to murder be registered against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in the wake of Kannur DCC general secretary Kandoth Gopi’s allegation that Pinarayi had tried to inflict a fatal wound on him in the past.  

As a former student of Brennen College, Thalassery, the Union minister also took strong exception to the leaders’ alleged portrayal of the glorious institution as a hotbed of violence.

MV Jayarajan Flays Sudhakaran

Kannur: Even Congress leaders say that K Sudhakaran is a political criminal and what he has done now is to give a stick to get himself beaten up, said CPM district secretary MV Jayarajan.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that the state Congress president is not politically qualified enough to become even a ward member. Everybody knows that he had become the president of DCC through violence and intimidation.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com