KPCC President VM Sudheeran breaks Congress' gag rule

Though the two factions in the Congress in Kerala may not see eye to eye, the leaders have once again joined hands to fight against their common enemy number one - the state Congress chief VM Sudheeran. The 'A' and 'I' factions of the Congress, led by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala respectively, have once again found a reason to pounce at Sudheeran over his public statement against the leaders attending a betrothal function. 

The controversy follows the high-profile engagement between the son of former Revenue Minister and Congress leader Adoor Prakash and daughter of businessman-turned-politician Biju Ramesh on Thursday. Chandy and Chennithala were among the guests who were present at the function. Sudheeran said that the presence of the leaders at the reception sent out a wrong message to the public as Biju Ramesh was instrumental in raising serious allegations of bribe against the former Chandy-led UDF government and contributed immensely to its embarrassing defeat in the Assembly polls.

The controversy follows the high-profile engagement between the son of former Revenue Minister and Congress leader Adoor Prakash and daughter of businessman-turned-politician Biju Ramesh on Thursday. Chandy and Chennithala were among the guests who were present at the function. Sudheeran said that the presence of the leaders at the reception sent out a wrong message

Biju Ramesh, the leader of Kerala Bar Hotels Association who later joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (AIADMK),  ceaselessly raised allegations against former Congress-led UDF government that eventually led to the unceremonious exit of the then Finance Minister KM Mani from the Chandy cabinet. The hotelier opened up the pandora's box for the UDF by alleging that the bar hotel owners gave crores to ministers of Oommen Chandy cabinet as a bribe to get their liquor bars exempted from the policy initiated by the government.  

Known as the bar bribe scam, the allegations cost dearly to the Congress and the UDF. The opposition used the allegations in the elections, and prominent Congress leaders including former Excise Minister K Babu lost the fight.

In this context, the high-profile engagement between the hotelier's daughter and the son of Congress MLA Prakash, who is also the leader of the Congress I-faction, has come as a surprise for many.  The betrothal ceremony was held in the capital city on 23 June and was graced by both the LDF and UDF leaders. 

The KPCC president took potshots at both the rival factions in the Congress that overtly and covertly blamed him for the humiliating poll defeat.

Quite expectedly, his public comment has irked both groups whose chieftains chose to remain mum but group managers made sure that the party High Command were kept posted on the issue. Leaders of the Congress factions are known to have shot fax and email complaints against Sudheeran for violating the gag order by the central leadership. The High Command had warned the Kerala leaders against making public comments against each other. 

• Congress factionalism
• A-I groups against Sudheeran
• VM Sudheeran
• Oomen Chandy
• Adoor Prakash
• Biju Ramesh
• Bar Bribe scam