Sudhakaran's exit threat casts shadow on CPI(M) before Kerala elections

Alappuzha (Kerala), Mar 4 (PTI) Ahead of the Assembly elections in Kerala, veteran G Sudhakaran, dealt a blow to the ruling CPI(M) on Wednesday by saying he would not renew his party membership and accusing state secretary M V Govindan of mocking him recently.

In a detailed Facebook post, Sudhakaran expressed his displeasure with the Marxist party's state and district leadership for their continued neglect.

Sudhakaran, once a strongman of the CPI(M) in Alappuzha district, said that he no longer wishes to inconvenience the party leaders by remaining a member.

However, the veteran didn't openly say in the FB post whether he would quit the ruling party or would join any other political platform.

Once a staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, Sudhakaran had served as the PWD minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government from 2016 to 2021.

He had not been on good terms with the CPI(M) leadership for some time and had been in the news many times for openly criticising some of the party leaders.

His threat to cut the decades-long association with the CPI(M) comes at a time when the state is gearing up for the crucial Assembly polls.

In the FB post, the 79-year-old leader said he did not submit an application to renew his party membership during the 2026 membership scrutiny, and therefore, he did not have to pay the levy or subscription amount.

He said he was removed from the state committee in 2022 and has since been functioning as a branch committee member under the Alappuzha district committee. After suffering a fall and injury, he attended all branch meetings regularly except one, Sudhakaran noted.

He said that after serving 43 years as a state committee member, he continued to work at the branch level but alleged that the district secretary had not enquired about his situation even once.

He further claimed that despite having a 63-year-long association with the party, he was not assigned any public programmes by the district leadership over the past five years.

Referring to the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, he said that when a commemorative event was held at a hall near his residence, he was not even invited, despite having courted arrest and undergone imprisonment and alleged custodial assault during the early days of the Emergency for defying the ban.

Sudhakaran also alleged that a local committee member had made insulting remarks even against his father through a social media post, and claimed that the person was a close associate of a district committee member.

The veteran further said he has remained in the party here for the past five years, directly witnessing all this, and that he did not succumb to any inducement.

The former minister took exception to certain remarks made by Govindan at a recent press conference, claiming that the latter had used an expression suggesting that he did not deserve any consideration and had laughed while making the comment.

The veteran also shared a video clip of Govindan at the press meet and his reaction when a reporter asked a question regarding the possibility of Sudhakaran's candidature in the upcoming Assembly polls.

"In this situation, I do not wish to cause any inconvenience to the leaders concerned by continuing in the party. Therefore, during this membership scrutiny period, I am voluntarily refraining from renewing my membership," Sudhakaran said in the post.

However, he asserted that he would continue to stand firm with lakhs of people in upholding the party's ideological principles. There was no immediate reaction from CPI(M) leadership over Sudhakaran's FB post.

Meanwhile, senior leaders of the CPI(M) chose not to give a direct reply to Sudhakaran's allegations.

While CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and state Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan evaded the media questions in this regard, veteran leader E P Jayarajan said Sudhakaran is a mature and seasoned leader and he would not think in a wrong manner.

Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the CPI(M), as a party, would never belittle anyone or see them in a poor light.

Even if Sudhakaran does not renew his party membership, he can continue as a party sympathiser and there are several people like that, he said.

He also said Govindan himself would reply to the criticism levelled against him by Sudhakaran.

However, General Education Minister V Sivankutty reacted in a tougher voice and said those who consider themselves above the party will never get any support from the party workers.

Beginning his political career as a Left student activist, Sudhakaran lost his younger brother G Bhuvaneswaran in an alleged political clash with Congress' students outfit Kerala Students Union (KSU) during 1970s. PTI LGK KH