Kerala: Why Congress chief Sudhakaran backtracked after backing Governor Arif Khan

Immediately after his suspension, along with fellow members of Parliament for protesting in the House on Tuesday (December 19), he sparked off a new controversy by endorsing the Kerala Governor's contentious appointment of Sangh Parivar affiliates to university bodies. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief made a statement that his party does not object to the Governor nominating RSS supporters to the university senate.

“We do not object to the Governor appointing Sangh Parivar nominees to university bodies. There is no reason to slam the Governor's decisions based on the merits of academics. The party is not against the inclusion of supporters from the Sangh Parivar. There are good people in the RSS / BJP too," said Sudhakaran.

Protests against Governor

Sudhakaran's statements have stirred up a row in the state, especially against the backdrop of the vociferous protests on the streets held by Students Federation of India (SFI), the ruling CPI(M)'s student wing. The SFI has been protesting against what they think the 'back door saffronisation' of universities by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.

The CPI(M)'s protest is gaining momentum and the party is garnering support from various quarters outside the Leftist realm of politics as well. The CPI(M) leadership swiftly seized Sudhakaran's endorsement of the Governor. “We are not surprised at KPCC president’s endorsement of the Sangh Parivar given his past political stance and statements,” said A A Rahim, Rajya Sabha member and the president of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).

“But this statement has more significance as he is the president of the Congress party in Kerala and this can be taken as their stance in the matter. We would like to know whether the IUML is endorsing this,” asked Rahim.

Sudhakaran issues clarification

Hours later, K Sudhakaran came up with a statement clarifying that he did not endorse the nomination of Sangh Parivar affiliates in the university senates. He said that his statement focused on the merit-based appointment of Senate members and that he was not endorsing Sangh Parivar's politics.

In a social media post, he asserted, “I do not seek validation for my secular credentials from anyone. I have faced suspension from Parliament for raising my voice against the Modi government. The CPI(M) leadership has persistently attempted to tarnish my reputation by associating me with the Sangh Parivar, but this strategy will not resonate with the people.”

Congress high command cracks the whip

According to sources in Congress, the KPCC president issued the clarification after a section of the top leadership expressed displeasure about his open support of the Governor. The party high command expressed discontent as it deemed his action entirely unnecessary, especially when the party was preparing for a robust protest against the LDF government. This dissatisfaction was communicated to him, and it was only after receiving this feedback that he provided an explanation, added the sources.

The Leader of Opposition, too, played it down, but only after acknowledging that it was indeed a mistake. “The KPCC president has issued a clarification the moment he realised it was wrong,” said V D Satheesan.

“Now there is no need to escalate it as a huge controversy. Everyone knows where we stand on the issue of confronting the BJP. It was the LDF government that stitched up a compromise with the Governor when we demanded him to be recalled,” added Satheesan.

UDF partners

UDF partner IUML’s concern also played a part in KPCC president backtracking from the statement in hours. Even though the IUML leader PMA Salam brushed it aside as a ‘slip of the tongue’ there was strong discontent among a section of their party as well.

“K Sudhakaran is making it a habit of praising the RSS/BJP and often finds it hard to explain it to our cadres,” said an IUML mid-level leader.

The IUML leader’s concern is that many minority organisations who had earlier opposed the LDF and the CPI(M) in particular have started supporting them.

“For instance, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been supporting UDF for seven to eight years, has slightly changed their stance. Their leadership has openly supported the SFI activists in their protest against the Governor and his alleged pro-Sangh Parivar activities. We cannot ignore these facts,” pointed out the IUML leader.

In the Sabarimala crowd management issue as well, the Congress MPs seeking central intervention had not gone down well with all the UDF supporters.

“Everybody knows the Sabarimala chaos was not a new issue – 102 people were killed in a stampede in 2015, while Oommen Chandy was in power. There were no state-wide protests against the government. But after the 2018 SC verdict and subsequent issues, the BJP as well as the UDF/Opposition are seeing a golden opportunity in anything related to the temple,” pointed out C Santhakumar, an Ayyappa devotee from Thrissur.

It appears that the Congress is aiming to repeat the anti-Left vote consolidation strategy seen in 2019  in the upcoming 2024 polls. During the last Lok Sabha elections, the consolidation of Hindu votes, influenced by the Sabarimala issue after the entry of women, and Muslim votes, boosted by the presence of Rahul Gandhi, proved advantageous for the party.

However, the current political landscape is more intricate. The challenge lies in the fact that minority votes may not lean towards the Congress if there are uncertainties about the party's commitment to its secular stance. This probably prompted the KPCC president to quickly make a U-turn.