Former State Youth Welfare Board vice chairman P.S. Prasanth, who was expelled from the Congress a day ago, has blamed senior party leader K.C. Venugopal for the internecine strife that has rocked the party State unit.
Mr. Prasanth, who unsuccessfully contested the recent Assembly elections from Nedumangad constituency, was removed from the primary membership of the party after he wrote to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi blaming Mr. Venugopal for the party’s electoral defeats in Kerala and other States.
Speaking to media persons after formally tendering his resignation on Tuesday, the former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) secretary said he had ended his three-decade long association with the party. Dismissing claims that he intended to align with the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Mr. Prasanth said he was yet to decide on his future plans.
Admitting that he had been a staunch ‘A’ group loyalist, Mr. Prasanth alleged that Mr. Venugopal attempted to form a new group. “Only those who owed allegiance to him were appointed as District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents,” he said.
He was also scathing in his criticism of Palode Ravi, who was appointed as the president of Thiruvananthapuram DCC. Accusing Mr. Ravi of working against the party’s interests, Mr. Prasanth said he was rewarded despite contributing towards his defeat in the Nedumangad constituency. He singled out Mr. Ravi for the party’s declining prominence in Nedumangad and other parts of the district.
“The Congress had ruled the Nedumangad municipality when he (Mr. Ravi) had represented the constituency. Pothencode grama panchayat had also been a party stronghold for 30 years. Now, the party only has control of Vembayam grama panchayat in the constituency. This too was made possible only with the backing of the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The Congress was pushed to the third place in many places, including Karakulam. Mr. Ravi has been responsible for the growing influence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and communal organisations in the region,” Mr. Prasanth alleged.
Even while remaining tight-lipped about his next move, Mr. Prasanth said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan returned to power because of good governance. He said he would strive to strengthen secular forces in the country.
