Congress expels AP Abdullakutty

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress party on Monday expelled former legislator A. P. Abdullakutty for lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-poor schemes and hailing him as a Gandhian.  KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran took the step after he found his explanation unsatisfactory. Moreover, he remained firm in his stand, inviting immediate action.

Congress party on Monday expelled former legislator A. P. Abdullakutty for lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-poor schemes and hailing him as a Gandhian.  KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran took the step after he found his explanation unsatisfactory. Moreover, he remained firm in his stand, inviting immediate action.

Mr Ramachandran had sent a letter to Mr Abdullakutty on May 29 seeking his explanation on his controversial Facebook post eulogising Mr Modi. But he did not bother to respond. The KPCC sent another letter in the form of an e-mail and also by registered post. Then he maintained that Mr Ramachandran has no right to seek his explanation as he is heading an ad-hoc committee.  Abdullakutty joined Congress party in 2009 after CPM expelled him for praising Mr Modi’s model of development in Gujarat where he was the chief minister for more than a decade.

He contested on the Congress ticket to the state assembly from Kannur in 2011 and won, but lost to A.N. Shamseer in 2016 from Thalassery.

A plethora of leaders including Youth Congress state president Dean Kuriakose had demanded stringent action against him.

“Mr Abdullakutty has been acting against the Congress, party workers and the common sentiments. Even after seeking an explanation from him, he remained firm in his stand where he resorted to defaming the party and senior leaders further," said Mr Ramachandran.

Mr Abdullakutty who had defeated Mr Ramachandran in Kannur in the 1999 and 2004 Lok Sabha elections, said he remains firm in his stand.

He said the KPCC president held a grudge against him after he wrested Kannur from him in 1999 and defeating him again in 2004.

Meanwhile, BJP state president P. S. Sreedharan Pillai said that the expulsion shows that the state was witnessing a development-oriented political polarisation.

"More Abdullakuttys from Congress and CPM will soon be joining the BJP," he said.

V. Muraleedharan, Union minister of state, said in New Delhi that Congress deals with criticism like 'ostrich' and maintained that BJP is keen on bringing the Kannur leader into the party.