The Congress leadership in Kerala had a moment of big relief on Monday as they convinced Rahul Gandhi to break his silence over the cheating case in which the party’s state chief K Sudhakaran was arrested recently.
The former Congress president, after a meeting with Sudhakaran and Kerala’s Opposition Leader V D Satheesan in Delhi, said the party "does not fear the politics of vendetta". Rahul amplifying the Congress state unit’s stance that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government has been attempting to tarnish the image of the party leaders by framing them assumes huge political significance as his perceived silence had come in handy for rivals.
At the Delhi meeting, which according to sources was initiated mutually, the Congress leadership raised its concerns over Rahul’s silence saying it could damage the prospects of the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The state leadership cited the BJP’s Kerala unit’s propaganda that Rahul chose to be silent as he was convinced of Sudhakaran’s involvement in the cheating case in which fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal is the prime accused. BJP state chief K Surendran had claimed that Rahul's silence even after 24 hours of Sudhakaran’s arrest showed Congress leadership’s nexus with the CPM top brass. The Kerala leadership brought this to the former Congress chief’s attention.
The Congress state leaders urged the support of the central leadership saying it was imperative for the party state unit’s survival at a time when the Pinarayi government was targetting its senior leaders. They told Rahul that Pinarayi was not in favour of the larger opposition unity at the national level and was hand in glove with the BJP in Kerala.
They tried to convince Rahul that Sudhakaran was a common enemy of CPM and BJP in Kerala, sources said. Citing the timing of Sudhakaran’s arrest which coincided with the grand meeting of the opposition parties in Patna, the Congress netas from Kerala told Rahul that it was a pre-planned move by Pinarayi to help the BJP.
The leaders also explained their version of the Monson Mavunkal case to Rahul, sources said. The Congress leaders in the state have been alleging that the complainants made the bribery allegation against Sudhakaran under the influence of the chief minister’s office.
“Rahul was convinced by the facts presented by the leaders from Kerala. He only suggested taking a photograph with Sudhakaran and Satheesan saying it was important to send out the message the party wants to,” a source close to the Congress state leadership told Onmanorama.
On June 23, the state Crime Branch arrested the Kannur MP after questioning him in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. He was let off on bail the same day.
Meanwhile, the Vigilance Wing of the Kerala Police has intensified its probe against Sudhakaran on a complaint of graft and misappropriation of funds filed by his former driver two years ago.
