"I am proud to be called Chetta": G Sudhakaran hits back at CM’s ‘chettatharam’ remark

ALAPPUZHA: Former CPM leader G. Sudhakaran has issued a sharp rebuttal to the Chief Minister’s recent "chettatharam" (mean act) remark. Speaking at a UDF general body meeting, Sudhakaran stated that he is proud to be associated with the word, noting that "chetta" (thatch) represents the homes of the poor in this state.

Sudhakaran took the Chief Minister’s terminology as a direct insult to the working class, explaining that he lived in a thatched chettapura with a cow-dung floor until the age of eighteen. He mocked the Chief Minister's grasp of the Malayalam language, suggesting he hasn't read a dictionary and doesn't understand linguistic nuances. "I will criticize the Chief Minister, but I will not speak ill of him. That is my reverence. Even if he calls me a vatta matsyam, I will maintain that boundary," Sudhakaran said.

Turning his attention to the Chief Minister’s electoral record, Sudhakaran dismissed allegations regarding his own parliamentary ambitions. He pointed out that the Chief Minister has contested nine times from the safe Dharmadam constituency, where victory is almost guaranteed for any candidate. He contrasted this with Alappuzha, noting that in Kannur, "whoever stands will win," and cited A.K.G. as a leader who remained a parliamentary member until his death.

Sudhakaran also directed his ire toward CPM Politburo member A. Vijayaraghavan, who had previously joked that Sudhakaran left the party because he read the Communist Manifesto upside down. Sudhakaran retorted that Vijayaraghavan knows nothing about Ambalapuzha and only visits for committee meetings, adding that perhaps Vijayaraghavan turned out the way he did because he read the manifesto "straight." Finally, Sudhakaran noted that Minister P. Prasad’s victory in the Cherthala constituency currently hangs in the balance.