Amidst reports suggesting that T.N. Prathapan — Congress’s sitting MLA from Kodungallur who had voluntarily withdrawn from the elections ostensibly to make way for the youth — had requested Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to allow him to contest the polls from the nearby Kaipamangalam segment, Mr. Prathapan made it clear that he did not wish to contest.
“I don’t want to ruin a youngster’s chance to contest,” he told The Hindu over the phone.
Mr. Prathapan’s voluntary withdrawal was a shot in the arm for KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran to argue against the candidature of Oommen Chandy loyalists K. Babu, K.C. Joseph, Adoor Prakash and Benny Behanan. “Those under a cloud of corruption and those who had contested over four times should stay away,” Mr. Sudheeran argued, citing Mr. Prathapan’s withdrawal.
TV reports on Saturday, however, maintained that Rahul Gandhi had read at the Congress Election Committee, a communiqué sent to him by Mr. Prathapan seeking constituency change.
Denies report
As it kicked up a row, Mr. Prathapan denied sending such a letter.
“Although I figured prominently on the AICC’s list of winnable candidates, I chose to stay off to make way for youngsters. The State screening committee’s list sent to AICC, therefore, did not have my name. Rahul Gandhi, while gong through the list, demanded to know why I was not on it and instructed that I contest. I got a call from his office yesterday asking me to meet him. I met him in the morning today (Saturday) when he categorically said I must be a candidate from some constituency, if not Kodungallur. It was a friendly, yet, firm instruction which forced me to reconsider my earlier decision,” he told The Hindu .
Mr. Prathapan said A.K. Antony, Ramesh Chennithala, Mr. Chandy and Mr. Sudheeran, who were present at the CEC meeting, did not talk about any such letter.
“But there are those baying for my blood in the party, as I had taken strong positions vis-à-vis several controversial decisions taken by the government. Be it the bar bribery scam or the debatable orders related to land that were withdrawn later, my stance was firm, which was not to the liking of many within the party,” he said.
In the wake of fresh controversy around his likely candidature, Mr. Prathapan communicated his resolve not to contest to Mukul Wasnik, Mr. Chandy, Mr. Sudheeran and to Mr. Gandhi’s office.
