'Fight against Shafi's authoritarianism'; Former Youth Congress leader to contest in Palakkad by-polls

PALAKKAD: Odds are all stacked against Congress in Palakkad as former Youth Congress state secretary AK Shanib is all set to contest the by-polls. More details will come out in a press conference scheduled at 10:45 on Tuesday.

Some days back, Shanib lashed out at Congress leadership and Shafi Parambil for unilaterally selecting the candidate in Palakkad without consulting with local leaders of the constituency.

Shanib:

“It is a fight against a larger caucus that includes Shafi Parambil and VD Satheesan. The competition is against the authoritarian stances of both these leaders. There is a furtive pact between RSS and Congress in Palakkad, Vadakara and Aranmula. K Muraleedharan is a martyr due to this despicable agreement. Congress is in no mood to change its stance to counter CPM domination in Kerala.

Palakkad Congress is completely ignoring the leaders of one community. Shafi considers himself the sole hero of one community. If expressed dissent, he would assign his ‘fans association’ to disparage the dissenting voice on social media.”