A day after CPI(M) veteran G. Sudhakaran came out and accused party colleague and Minister for Fisheries and Culture Saji Cherian and several other party leaders in Alappuzha of conspiring to get him expelled from the party, he talks to The Hindu on issues ranging from constituency attacks to his stance on the Congress.
What is the new problem with the party? Why did you suddenly come out against Saji Cherian and H. Salam?
There is no problem with the party. I am a member of CPI(M). I made certain remarks about Saji Cherian because he made a “non-Marxist” statement against me through the press. In this statement he asked me to “walk side by side with the party”. I replied that I was already in the party, not out. I’m a party man. Every party member is in the party structure. The problem was Saji Cherian’s statement. He should not talk like this about a member who has 62 years of experience in the undivided party and in the CPI(M). Saji Cherian was still a student at school when I became a party cadre.
Have you submitted any compliance to the party?
I didn’t file any complaint. However, I wrote four letters to CPI(M) Alappuzha District Secretary R. Nazar pointing out four instances of “un-Marxist and anti-social” portrayal of me on social media by various party members, including party district committee members and district secretariat. They have no right to talk about me in such a way. Such links have already been banned by the party.
Did you criticize the government regarding the Sabarimala gold theft?
Never. I don’t. That was a misunderstanding on Nazar’s part. He was not present at the meeting. I spoke at a seminar organized by the Congress mass organization. I said that some politicians in the state, both left and right, claim that we (Kerala) are a model for the world – world number one. I don’t agree with that. In some areas we are role models in India – like education and women empowerment etc – but in some other sectors we are not. Then I mentioned the Sabarimala gold theft and asked if we were number one in that too. No, we’re not. However, the District Secretary did not read it and the press did not give all the details of my speech. Nazar and party leaders CS Sujatha and M. Sathyapalan came here on Thursday and we talked for an hour. all these matters were subject to debate. I was criticized on social media for attending a seminar organized by the Congress Cultural Department and sharing space with Congress officials. Congress is our ally at the national level. Both CPI(M) and Congress are part of INDIA but we are rivals in Kerala. Attending a seminar organized by Congress, India’s ally, is not bad. Earlier, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor addressed a seminar organized by the CPI(M) and CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby shared the dais with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a political campaign in Bihar. I attended two seminars. I fulfill my duty as a communist by explaining the party’s ideology, program and policy through this participation. Out of 45,000 party members in the district, only 20 to 24 people attacked me. They should be fixed. On cyber platforms, people wrote nasty, forbidden things about me and my family. This has never happened before in Alappuzha. This is a very serious situation not only for me, but for the entire movement. Unwanted elements should be removed from the page.
Did the congress party invite you to join them?
Never. They lack the courage to do so. Congress president KC Venugopal, MP, has already made it clear that G. Sudhakaran cannot be convinced.
Will you be campaigning or working for the party and LDF in the upcoming polls?
In the last parliamentary polls, I spoke in many meetings, including the Ambalappuzha assembly constituency. But the winning MLA (H. Salam) said I have not done anything. He filed a false petition with the party. Based on this, CPI(M) Central Committee member Elamaram Kareem conducted an inquiry. He violated investigative norms and recorded statements of unwanted people who thronged the party office in cars provided by MLAs. It was a hackneyed question. However, I did not file any appeal with the Central Committee. The investigative report has now been leaked. I am a member of the branch unit and will serve as a member of the branch committee during the elections.
G. Sudhakaran | Photo credit: SURESH ALLEPPEY
