Congress divided over Chennithala’s donation to CMDRF

Sudhakaran’s comment that Chennithala should not have given his salary to the LDF government has come under flak from Satheesan.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala donating a month’s salary to Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund has opened a fresh battlefront between Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan.

Sudhakaran’s comment that Chennithala should not have given his salary to the LDF government has come under flak from Satheesan. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also downplayed Sudhakaran’s statement during his press conference saying that small bickering should be neglected.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Pinarayi said that there would be voices of dissent from here and there. Chennithala had informed on Friday that he has decided to donate Rs 50,000, which is his one month’s salary as an MLA, to the CMDRF. Chennithala who had visited the landslide areas in Wayanad had written on Facebook that the disaster had brought tears and agony to everyone. Reacting to this, Sudhakaran told reporters on Saturday that none had urged that donations should be given to the government.

“The Congress has its own forum to procure funds. All the allied organisations of the party had kicked off fundraising. Chennithala should have donated his salary to the party’s fundraising initiative,” said Sudhakaran.

On Saturday, Satheesan told reporters in Kozhikode after visiting the house of Arjun, the lorry driver who went missing in Karnataka, that what Sudhakaran said was not right. “There is nothing wrong in sending money to the CMDRF. Sudhakaran should not have blamed Chennithala after he had decided to send his salary to CMDRF,” said Satheesan.