THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM state committee on Thursday condemned Congress leader K Sudhakaran's personal attack on chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “The remark is despicable. We want to know the response of the Congress leadership,” party state secretary A Vijayaraghavan said.
Sudhakaran had, on Tuesday night, made a casteist remark against Vijayan while addressing a reception for the Aiswarya Kerala Yatra led by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. On Thursday also, he refused to withdraw his remarks despite criticism from even within his party, saying he only intended to highlight the splurging of money by a communist leader.
Vijayaraghavan said the personal assaults on Vijayan have intensified after the start of the Congress’s rally. “Sudhakaran who made the condemnable remarks is a parliament member too. He used a methodology not common in modern societies. The Congress needs to make its stand clear," he told a news conference after the state committee meeting.
A K Balan seeks public apology from Sudhakaran
Law minister A K Balan has demanded a public apology from Sudhakaran. “No real Congress worker can accept what Sudhakaran said. When Shanimol Usman (Congress MLA) made a genuine remark against the usage, he humiliated her too. Can the Congress party pass on the tradition and values of the independence movement to the younger generation by keeping a leader like Sudhakaran at the helm?,” he asked while addressing a public event in Palakkad.
Earlier in the day, Sudhakaran told reporters in New Delhi that he only intended to remind the chief minister of his humble past. “He has spent Rs 18 crore for helicopter journeys in a year. People should assess whether it is the quality of a communist leader,” he said.