Alappuzha (Kerala), March 4 Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, veteran G Sudhakaran announced on Wednesday that he would not renew his party membership, accusing state CPI(M) secretary M V Govindan of disrespecting him.
In a detailed Facebook post, Sudhakaran expressed his dissatisfaction with the Marxist party's state and district leadership for their continued neglect.
Sudhakaran, a former prominent figure in the CPI(M) in Alappuzha district, stated that he no longer wishes to inconvenience the party leaders by remaining a member.
However, the veteran did not explicitly state whether he would leave the ruling party or join another political platform in the post.
Sudhakaran previously served as the PWD minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government (2016-2021), having been a staunch supporter of former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.
He had been openly critical of some party leaders for some time.
His decision to end his decades-long association with the CPI(M) comes at a crucial time, as the state is preparing for the Assembly elections.
In the Facebook post, the 79-year-old leader stated that he did not submit an application to renew his party membership during the 2026 membership scrutiny, and therefore, he did not have to pay any fees or subscriptions.
He said he was removed from the state committee in 2022 and has since been working as a branch committee member under the Alappuzha district committee. He noted that he regularly attended all branch meetings except for one after suffering an injury.
He further stated that after serving 43 years as a state committee member, he continued to work at the branch level but alleged that the district secretary had not inquired about his situation.
He also claimed that despite having a 63-year-long association with the party, he had not been assigned any public responsibilities by the district leadership over the past five years.
Referring to the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, he said that when a commemorative event was held at a hall near his residence, he was not even invited, despite having been arrested and imprisoned for defying the ban during the early days of the Emergency.
Sudhakaran also accused a local committee member of making insulting remarks against his father through social media, and claimed that the person was a close associate of a district committee member.
The veteran further stated that he has remained in the party for the past five years, directly witnessing all this, and that he has not been influenced by any offers.
The former minister expressed his disapproval of certain remarks made by Govindan at a recent press conference, claiming that the latter had made a comment suggesting that he did not deserve any consideration and had laughed while making the comment.
The veteran also shared a video clip of Govindan's reaction during the press meet when a reporter asked about the possibility of Sudhakaran's candidature in the upcoming Assembly polls.
"In this situation, I do not wish to cause any inconvenience to the leaders concerned by continuing in the party. Therefore, during this membership scrutiny period, I am voluntarily refraining from renewing my membership," Sudhakaran said in the post.
However, he asserted that he would continue to stand firm with lakhs of people in upholding the party's ideological principles. There was no immediate reaction from CPI(M) leadership over Sudhakaran's FB post.
Meanwhile, senior leaders of the CPI(M) chose not to give a direct reply to Sudhakaran's allegations.
While CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and state Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan evaded media questions in this regard, veteran leader E P Jayarajan said Sudhakaran is a mature and seasoned leader and he would not think in a wrong manner.
Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the CPI(M), as a party, would never belittle anyone or see them in a poor light.
Even if Sudhakaran does not renew his party membership, he can continue as a party sympathiser and there are several people like that, he said.
He also said Govindan himself would reply to the criticism levelled against him by Sudhakaran.
However, General Education Minister V Sivankutty reacted in a tougher voice and said those who consider themselves above the party will never get any support from the party workers.
Beginning his political career as a Left student activist, Sudhakaran lost his younger brother G Bhuvaneswaran in an alleged political clash with Congress' students outfit Kerala Students Union (KSU) during the 1970s.