Thiruvananthapuram: Following scathing criticism from all quarters, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran on Sunday retracted his denigrating remarks about politicians in the state.
In a recent interview with a newspaper, Sudhakaran said that there were profound differences between politicians hailing from the northern and southern districts of Kerala.
To cement his point, he quoted a story from the epic Ramayana. Rama and Laxmana were returning home from Lanka after rescuing Sita on a flying chariot. As they traversed over Kerala, a heinous thought gripped Laxmana's mind - to throw Rama off the chariot.
However, by the time the chariot reached Thrissur, Laxmana seized control of his thoughts. But he couldn't shake off the guilt, said Sudhakaran.
But Rama, sensing his brother's discomfort, told him that he had read the younger brother's mind and urged him to dismiss such thoughts. "It is not your fault, but the problem of the country we just navigated," Rama told Laxmana, according to Sudhakaran.
The gist of what the state Congress leader said, as was perceived by many, came down to this: that politicians from southern Kerala cannot be trusted.
However, on Sunday the Congress leader clarified that this was not his intention and that he was merely repeating a story commonly told in Malabar.
He also expressed regret at how his statement on Shashi Tharoor was misinterpreted. "I merely mentioned that Tharoor lacked experience. I did not call him a 'trainee'," Sudhakaran said.
On Saturday, Education Minister V Sivankutty, who is from Thiruvananthapuram, pounced on Sudhakaran's remark to attack the Congress leadership.
"There is no north-south divide in Kerala. All that matters here is humanity," Sivankutty pointed out.
Rajya Sabha legislator John Brittas who hails from the perceived "trusted" north, the Kannur - same as Sudhakaran, also took to social media to point out that the Congress leader has only distanced his partymen from the south.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is contesting the party presidential post along with Mallikarjun Kharge, is in fact from Thiruvananthapuram.
Sudhakaran was also attacked for throwing his lot with Kharge instead of a legislator from his state.
Sudhkaran's "north-south" remark comes just weeks after Congress talisman Rahul Gandhi led a march across the length of Kerala to unite the party.
