Kerala: Padmaja joining BJP creates family rift; K Muraleedharan disowns sister who betrayed Congress
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Mar 7, 2024, 10:44 AM ISTCongress leader and MP K Muraleedharan responded to the media regarding Padmaja Venugopal's exit from the Congress and joining the BJP.
Kozhikode: Congress leader and MP K Muraleedharan expressed his disappointment over his sister Padmaja Venugopal's decision to leave the Congress and join the BJP, labeling it as deceitful and unacceptable. He refuted claims of neglect by Congress, stating that Padmaja was always given due consideration. Muraleedharan also asserted that he no longer considers Padmaja as his sister following her decision to join the BJP.
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In a major setback for the Congress, the daughter of late Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, Padmaja Venugopal is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, after discussions with the party's national leaders in Delhi. Padmaja, the current General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), reportedly feels sidelined by the party leadership, leading to her decision to switch parties.
K Muraleedharan said that the party has always fielded Padmaja in winning seats. UDF who won by 52000 votes in Mukundapuram, Padmaja lost by one and a half lakh votes in 2004.
"Didn't I contest and win in Vattiyoorkavu where the left front is winning? Didn't I win in Vadakara too?" he said.
"By taking Padmaja, BJP will not get the benefit and the party will fall to the third position even in the constituency which is expected to get the first position. Regardless of what the party got or not, it should have been remembered that when Karunakaran was taken to the pyre, he was covered in a flag. I have had a lot of trouble in the party, yet I did not join the BJP," Muraleedharan said.
Padmaja Venugopal faced successive electoral defeats in the Thrissur constituency in the last two assembly elections and the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Mukundapuram, prompting her to consider other options. Additionally, the delay in constructing K. Karunakaran's memorial by the Congress leadership reportedly contributed to Padmaja's decision to shift allegiance to the BJP.
Padmaja Venugopal is the daughter of K. Karunakaran, adding to the surprise among Congress ranks following Anil Antony, son of AK Antony, also joining the BJP camp.
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