The Congress’ State digital media cell convener P. Sarin opened his way out of the party by lashing out at the Congress leadership and embracing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Thursday (October 17, 2024).
Addressing the media at the Press Club here, Mr. Sarin said that Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan had paved the way for the Congress’ destruction by “not only hijacking the party but also hoodwinking thousands of party supporters.”
Even as he addressed the media, the Congress leadership expelled Mr. Sarin from the primary membership of the party. [Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran has expelled him from the organisation’s primary membership. In a terse communique, Mr. Sudhakaran accused Mr. Sarin of “indiscipline and anti-Congress activity.”]
Anticipating the disciplinary action, Mr. Sarin said he would work with the LDF and expressed his willingness to contest the Assembly byelection in Palakkad as its candidate. “If I get a Left platform to serve the people, I am ready. Left is an attitude. If the CPI(M) offers me a seat, I am ready. I am waiting for their response. Unlike the Congress, they will have to take a decision after consultations,” said Mr. Sarin.
CPI(M) district secretary E.N. Suresh Babu said that the district committee would discuss Mr. Sarin’s overture and take a proper decision.
Mr. Sarin said that he had already contacted all the 104 councillors of the civic bodies constituting the Palakkad Assembly constituency and opened a dialogue with them as a first step to the November 13 byelection. He said he had left it for the Left to “give wings to his initiative.”
Mr. Sarin accused the Congress, particularly Mr. Satheesan, of toeing a soft BJP line in the State. “The Congress cannot take on the BJP in Kerala, but the Left can,” he said, challenging the Congress to show a single incident that it launched or triggered in the last three years to take on the BJP politically in Kerala.
Mr. Sarin said he had been approached by the BJP as well as Nilambur’s dissident MLA P.V. Anvar. He said he would work for the LDF candidate in Chelakkara too.
Holding the Leader of the Opposition solely responsible for the “degeneration” of the Congress in Kerala, Mr. Sarin said that Mr. Satheesan had changed the party to such a level where he feels himself as the party. Referring to Louis XIV’s statement of 1655 that ‘I am the state’, Mr. Sarin said: “V.D. Satheesan now says I’m the party”.
‘Unholy trio’
He alleged that an “unholy trio” comprising Mr. Satheesan, Shafi Parambil, MP, and Youth Congress State president Rahul Mankoottathil would enhance the “destruction” of the Congress further. “They have hijacked the party. They are behaving like a quotation gang in the party,” he said.
He alleged that Mr. Mankoottathil was “a mini V.D. Satheesan in the making.” He said Mr. Parambil had “no right” to call himself as a disciple of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Mr. Sarin alleged that there was always an understanding between the Congress and the BJP in Palakkad. “That understanding did not take place only when E. Sreedharan contested for the BJP in Palakkad in 2021.”
He said Mr. Parambil’s shift from Palakkad to take on the LDF in Vadakara in the 2024 Lok Sabha election was “part of an understanding” with the BJP. “The BJP is the real beneficiary of that move.”
Mr. Sarin hinted that the Congress had already made a deal with the BJP by which the latter would continue its rule in Palakkad municipality for a third term.
“I am not a headache for the Congress. Rather, I am the remedy for the party’s real headache. Use me if the Congress wants to get rid of its headache forever,” he said.
Published - October 17, 2024 01:58 pm IST
