Kerala: Venugopal confirms DCC suggested Muraleedharan as candidate in Palakkad, praises Satheesan

KC Venugopal confirmed the District Congress Committee's recommendation of K. Muraleedharan for Palakkad constituency, but Rahul Mamkoottathil was chosen after consultation. Venugopal praised VD Satheesan's performance, denied chief ministerial ambitions, and criticized BJP's alleged insults toward the Gandhi family.

KC Venugopal, in an interview with Asianet News, confirmed that the District Congress Committee (DCC) had recommended K. Muraleedharan's name for the Palakkad constituency. However, after consulting with Muraleedharan, the party ultimately chose Rahul Mamkoottathil as the candidate. Venugopal clarified that those who wrote letters supporting Muraleedharan are actively campaigning for the party, and the matter of the leaked letter will be addressed later.

Venugopal praised VD Satheesan's performance, stating that there's no need for him to change his style. He emphasized the importance of collective effort in bringing Congress to power in Kerala, noting that no single leader can make decisions unilaterally.

Regarding rumors about his own chief ministerial ambitions, Venugopal denied having any such aspirations, questioning what's wrong with leaders having such ambitions. He criticized the BJP for allegedly running a "factory" to insult the Gandhi family and said P. Jayarajan has joined them by commenting about Priyanka Gandhi as the "one-day sultana".

Venugopal also highlighted Priyanka Gandhi's potential to strengthen the INDIA alliance in Parliament. Additionally, he alleged that the CPM is protecting Divya in the ADM death case and called for a central government investigation into the alleged benami transaction related to petrol pump allocation.