The reprieve for the combative KPCC chief has come after his arrest in a graft case involving Pocso case convict and fake antique dealer Monson Mavungal. He has since been released on bail.

The million dollar question, however, is: will the reprieve prove lasting? If the Congress High Command’s plain speaking to him and Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan is any indication, then the answer to that question is in the negative. Reports have it that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made no secret of their displeasure over the disquieting developments in the State unit of the Congress. The burden of the duo’s song was that they were the victims of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government’s “vendetta politics”. After the meeting, Rahul Gandhi tweeted a photo of him holding hands with Sudhakaran and Satheesan, in the presence of Tariq Anwar, the general secretary in charge of Kerala. Rahul also said that the party does not fear the politics of intimidation and vendetta.

With the High Command ruling out Sudhakaran’s resignation at this point of time, the battle will again shift to the State. It is an open secret that a powerful group in the State unit is determined to ensure the exit of Sudhakaran from the KPCC chief’s post. Their argument is that the continuance of Sudhakaran in the post will only further tarnish the image and credibility of the Congress besides adversely affecting the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)’s prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and weakening the campaign against the State Government.

The group includes a few senior party leaders from the State who have an eye on the Chief Minister’s post should the Congress wrest power from the LDF in the next assembly elections in the State scheduled to be held in 2026. It may be mentioned that among others, former KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran said that Sudhakaran should have stepped down in the wake of the arrest. But he was subjected to cyber bullying by the supporters of Sudhakaran known as the KS Brigade!

This argument is countered by the supporters of Sudhakaran and Satheesan. They are of the view that any action against Sudhakaran at this juncture will only help the LDF and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. His exit will also demoralize the party’s rank and file.

Meanwhile, a major morale booster for Sudhakaran has come from veteran Congress leader A K Antony, who has openly backed him. Antony’s contention is that it is only a case initiated by the police. Once the court takes up the issue, versions from both sides will come up during the cross-examination. The fabricated case will be dismissed, said Antony.

The Crime Branch had earlier arraigned Sudhakaran as the second accused in the cheating case against the first accused Monson Mavungal. The complaint is that Monson duped as many as six businessmen of Rs 10 crore between 2017 and 2020. Monson allegedly showed them fake bank accounts. Once these funds, stuck in legal tangles are cleared, he would pay them with high returns. That is what he said to convince the businessmen.

The complainants have alleged that Sudhakaran was present at Monson’s house when they handed over the money. Monson told the businessmen that he had paid Rs 10 lakh to Sudhakaran for his help to facilitate the release of blocked funds.

The last word has not been said in the case. True, Sudhakaran has been released on bail after presenting solvent sureties equivalent to the bond of Rs 50,000, as directed by the court.

Sudhakaran has, of course, put on a brave front by stating that he is not scared of anything. He has tried to brazen it out by saying that if any evidence is there, let it come out. “I have not committed any misdeed. I did not misuse anyone. I have not accepted any bribes in my entire career. That is my political ethics.”

Much depends upon the protracted legal battle ahead. If its outcome goes against him, then Sudhakaran will have no option but to step down. Either way, the state unit of the Congress finds itself in a tight corner. The case has come at a time when the party is engaged in a determined fight to stage a political comeback in a stated where the party is still a force to reckon with. Its hopes of cashing in on the emphatic victory the party scored in Karnataka seems to be evaporating into thin air in the wake of the case against two of its top leaders. (IPA Service)