Another gaffe, another U-turn: K Sudhakaran invites wrath, this time with north & south Kerala comparison

The state Congress chief said leaders from north Kerala were ‘honest, straightforward and courageous’ compared to their counterparts from the southern part of the state.

To a follow-up question on why “the CPM, Congress and BJP have leaders from Malabar at their helm,” Sudhakaran replied, “Honesty, straightforwardness and courage.” (File)

The president of the Congress’s Kerala unit, K Sudhakaran, has sparked a controversy by saying that political leaders from northern Kerala are “honest, straightforward and courageous” in comparison to their counterparts from south Kerala. After receiving severe flak from the CPI(M), Sudhakaran withdrew the comment and tendered an apology.

In an interview to The New Indian Express published on Sunday, the MP from north Kerala’s Kannur was asked if politicians from south Kerala were different from Malabar (North Kerala). Sudhakaran replied, “Yes, there are historical differences. I will share a story. Lord Rama was returning from Lanka after killing Ravana along with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita in (the) Pushpaka Vimanam. When the vimanam was passing through the southern parts of Kerala, Lakshman thought of pushing his brother to the sea and going away with Sita. By the time he reached Thrissur, there was a change of mind. He felt remorseful. Rama patted him on the shoulder and said, ‘Yes, I read your mind. It’s not your fault. The fault lies with the land we covered…(laughs out).’’’

To a follow-up question on why “the CPM, Congress and BJP have leaders from Malabar at their helm,” Sudhakaran replied, “Honesty, straightforwardness and courage.”

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Reacting to the comments, Education Minister V Sivankutty said in a Facebook post that the “Congress always stood for divisive politics”. He added, “The issue is not about north (Kerala) and south (Kerala). What is required is human quality.”

VN Vasavan, another CPI(M) minister, said Sudhakaran’s comparison “can never be accepted”. He added, “The politics behind saying that one region of Kerala is better than the other or that its people are better than their counterparts has to be boycotted.”

As criticism mounted, Sudhakaran said “he had heard such stories right from his childhood” and was “just repeating it”. He went on to say, “There was no intention of maligning anyone. I tender an apology if my words have hurt anyone. I withdraw my comments. We never attempted to promote the party by engaging in any cheap politics. We have the common sense to know that such politics will not work in a state like Kerala.”

The 74-year-old has triggered several controversies in the past following public outbursts. While campaigning for an Assembly by-election in May, he made an offensive remark about Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “He is like a dog that has broken off its chain. Is there anyone to control him? Is there anyone to convince him? He is moving around everywhere.’’

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Considered a strongman who took on the CPI(M) in their stronghold Kannur, Sudhakaran was appointed the state Congress chief after the party’s debacle in the Assembly elections last year. Unlike his predecessors who maintained a low profile, Sudhakaran has openly backed partymen, particularly local leaders, despite their involvement in criminal cases.

Early this year, he defended a Youth Congress worker allegedly involved in the murder of a Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activist in Idukki. Recently, when another Youth Congress worker was arrested on charges of throwing an explosive at the CPM office in Thiruvananthapuram, Sudhakaran said the party would protect him.

This June, Sudhakaran also led protests across the state to demand Vijayan’s resignation when fresh allegations related to the gold smuggling scam surfaced. Sudhakaran said at the time, “Jayarajan (convener of the Left Democratic Front), you have trampled on our boys. There’s no doubt that we will be forced to take revenge… You can destroy as many of our (Congress) offices as you want, but we will pull down as many of your offices. We will not hold back.”