THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair lashed out at senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala and Opposition Leader VD Satheesan through TNIE's Express Dialogues, Chennithala said he has always been a Congress leader. He added that for him the party comes first.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating a dharna by dairy farmers in front of Milma headquarters at Pattom here, Chennithala said he has always been secular.
On Sunday, in Express Dialogues series, Sukumaran Nair had cast serious allegations against Chennithala citing that the UDF lost the 2021 Assembly elections because he was projected as the chief ministerial candidate.
Rubbishing the claim, Chennithala said on Monday that he was not projected as a “Nair brand” by anyone, but has always been a secular leader.
“I will always remain secular. The Congress party has always taken a similar stand. I was not projected as a chief ministerial candidate in the 2021 Assembly election”, said Chennithala.
Over the last few years, several Congress leaders including Chennithala, Satheesan and national Congress general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal were sidelined by the NSS chief. Sukumaran Nair had earlier claimed that it was due to his intervention Chennithala was anointed in a key post as the Home minister during the Oommen Chandy government. But later on, Chennithala had allegedly sidelined the NSS leadership.
Recently, Satheesan was also not spared by Sukumaran Nair at his own home ground in Paravoor when the latter came to inaugurate a community programme there. He had claimed that Satheesan was huddled with him at Perunna before the 2021 Assembly elections. But two days later on his return from attending the Sharjah Book Fair, Satheesan too took a cautious approach stating that he has got no untouchability against the NSS.
He had then added that the UDF does not want communal votes and he had never disowned the NSS leadership. In the Express Dialogues, Sukumaran Nair had said harshly that he will never pardon Satheesan. But in the latest dig against Satheesan by the NSS chief, he is yet to react on the issue.
Satheesan too has taken a cautious approach to the NSS leader's allegations. Talking to reporters at the media room at Legislative Assembly, Satheesan said the community organisations have the liberty to criticize the leaders.
"Everyone has the right to criticize the political leadership. The community outfits have the liberty to criticize the leaders. But I do not want to court controversies", said Satheesan.