DID CONGRESS DROP ITS BEST BET IN KERALA?

K. Sudhakaran’s exit as state party chief when key elections loom may be ill-timed

- BY MANOJ NAIR | Business Editor

The whole of India is fixated on what’s happening at the border.

That’s exactly when the Congress Party decided it was the ideal time to launch a ‘surgical strike’ on arguably its most popular leader currently in Kerala — K. Sudhakaran. He was finally removed as president of the Kerala unit of the party, bringing to an end a drama that had been running for way too long.

At various points, it seemed that Sudhakaran had secured a stay on his removal. He was in no mood to go quietly, which is what former Congress party presidents did the moment they got the call — or the nudge — from the ‘high command’.

Finally, Sudhakaran caved in to the pressure. He went on to “warmly welcome” his successor, the mild-mannered Sunny Joseph, the sitting MLA from Peravoor.