Discontent brewing in Cong over Palakkad bypoll candidacy

PTI Palakkad (Kerala): Discontent is brewing in the opposition Congress in Kerala over the candidacy for the Palakkad bypoll with another young party leader making damaging allegations against it and especially Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan. Recently, former digital media convenor of the party P Sarin had protested against the selection of Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil as the candidate for the Palakkad assembly bypoll and had levelled damaging accusations against Satheesan and Congress MP Shafi Parambil, the former MLA from here. Subsequently, Sarin was expelled from the party at the same time he announced his intention to work with the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

On Saturday, Youth Congress leader A K Shabin raised a similar protest and also announced that he would be leaving the grand old party. Breaking into tears, Shabin, at a press conference here, said that he informed his mother in the morning that he would be leaving the party. Just like Sarin, Shabin too accused Satheesan of hijacking the party along with 'two others' and of shifting Shafi Parambil from Palakkad to Vadakara Lok Sabha seat to necessitate a by-election in Palakkad to benefit the BJP. Shabin said it was "not a Palakkad-Vadakara deal", but a "Palakkad-Vadakara-Aranmula" deal. He said that there were many others in the party who were discontent with how things were "hijacked" by Satheesan and Parambil, but were afraid to speak out due to various personal reasons.

He also alleged that there was a "cruel neglect", sidelining and subjugation of members by some leaders in the party. Following his expulsion from the Congress, Sarin was made the CPI(M)'s independent candidate for the Palakkad assembly bypoll. Shabin is yet to announce if he will join any other political party.