KPCC chief says 'Congress protected' RSS Shakhas from CPI(M) in the past

KPCC President K Sudhakaran on Wednesday said the party had provided protection to three Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakhas when he was part of Congress (Organisation) decades back.

Kannur: Kerala Congress president K Sudhakaran on Wednesday courted controversy saying that Congress had given protection to three RSS Shakhas, located at Edakkad, Thottada, and Kizhunna in Kannur districts, when they were threatened by the CPI(M) cadres during the his tenure as part of the Congress (Organisation) decades back.

While speaking at an MVR memorial function, the Congress chief said that he had sent people to protect the Shakhas when the CPI(M) cadres tried to destroy RSS Shakhas. "While I was part of Congress in Kannur, CPI(M) used to threaten the functioning of Shakhas. The situation was such that shakhas could not be operated due to the threat. I was the person who sent people to give protection to these shakhas," Sudhakaran said.

However, he was quick to clarify that he did not do that because of any affiliation towards right-wing ideology but only to stand up against the attack on the democratic rights of another organisation. The leader known for his bitter contestation with the Left party in Kannur, considered largely to be a CPI(M) bastion, said freedom of expression and political liberty belonged to all, observing RSS at the time was not a banned organization.

"I was part of the Congress (Organisation). That party was closer policy-wise to BJP in Indian politics at the time" he added.