Kannur is my blood; Sudhakaran irked, fight intensifies in Congress

KANNUR: The smouldering dispute within the Congress over the assembly candidature has escalated into a public fight. Senior leader K Sudhakaran left the Parliament session and returned home after strongly disagreeing with the high command's stand.

Sudhakaran was irked by the high command's directive that MPs need not contest the assembly polls. He had earlier made it clear that he was 110 percent interested in contesting from Kannur and was even willing to fight against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadom.

Meanwhile, Sudhakaran stepped forward with an emotional Facebook post clarifying his stand about his relationship with Kannur. The Facebook post mentioned the inseparable connection between his political life and Kannur.

'Kannur is my heart's blood. The Congress in Kannur has always been my address. Just as a mother hen protects her chicks from bombs, knives, sickles, I will never be able to stand by and watch my brothers, whom I fought and protected from the front, being harmed by communist guards. When I wake up, what comes to my mind are the dreams of our party that we built together by giving our lives and blood.

When I close my eyes, what comes to my mind are the lifeless faces of my colleagues who were murdered by the communists. Kannur is our land where our heart and blood were shed. It is the land of sacrifice of the Congressmen who fought and won.

K Sudhakaran will always be at the forefront for that land, carrying the Congress tricolor flag on his chest. On the land where my blood and sweat were shed, on the land where the blood of my colleagues was shed, on the land where the hearts of those who lost their loved ones were torn apart, K Sudhakaran will stand with his head held high.

While working to protect my movement, I have not thought about my house and family until this moment. Every leader in Kannur today is someone who grew up and worked with me. There is no Kannur that I do not know, and there is no Kannur that does not know me. Others may forget the difficult paths they have taken, but they are raw realities that I will never forget even in death, penned Sudhakaran.

Reports say that the top leadership, including the AICC, do not fully agree with Sudhakaran’s move. The high command is of the general stand that the sitting MPs need not contest the assembly polls. Meantime, senior Congress leader P J Kurien said that whatever decision the party takes, all MPs should abide by it.