Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran was caught on a hot mic airing an expletive-laced snarky comment about the Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s belated attendance at a joint press conference in Alappuzha on Saturday.
The unscripted moment unfolded when Mr. Sudhakaran enquired about Mr. Satheesan’s absence.
Mr. Sudhakaran reached the venue at around 10.28 a.m. He appeared frustrated that Mr. Satheesan had not turned up despite waiting for at least 20 minutes.
Mr. Sudhakaran openly fumed that Mr. Satheesan was keeping the press waiting. Congress leaders flanking Mr. Sudhakaran warned him that television cameras were rolling and the microphones piled on the desk were live.
Pro-Left Democratic Front (LDF) social media groups weighed in on Mr. Sudhakaran’s hot mic drop with barely concealed glee.
They flooded online platforms and groups with memes and trolls mercilessly mocking the two leaders and casting aspersions on their apparent bonhomie and joint captaincy of the Congress’s flagship public outreach programme, Samaragni.
The embarrassingly awkward gaffe reportedly riled the Congress’s national leadership. The offensive comment also momentarily drew the curtains apart on the alleged game of one-upmanship between the two leaders.
The carefully cultivated image of party unity also seemed to unravel fleetingly. The national leadership reportedly felt that the off-the-cuff remark distracted public attention, perhaps transiently, from the Samaragni’s carefully calibrated political messaging. The AICC reportedly nudged the leaders to reconcile publicly.
Mr. Satheesan attempted to gloss over Mr. Sudhakaran’s “profane” remark. He told reporters in Alappuzha that people forced to wait might run out of patience. He said he shared a fraternal relationship with Mr. Sudhakaran. Mr. Satheesan chastised the media for making a mountain out of a molehill.
Mr. Sudhakaran also echoed a similar sentiment. He said he reckoned Mr. Satheesan a brother. “We have no difference of opinion and are united in purpose to further Congress politics,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
Similar incident
A comparable hot-mic moment caught the two leaders unaware in September last. It gifted durable ammunition to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] to portray the Congress as riven by jealous competition at the organisation’s apex.
Mr. Satheesan and Mr. Sudhakaran were captured live arguing over who would commence the press conference. Television channels broadcast an apparently petulant Mr. Satheesan pushing the cluster of mikes to Mr. Sudhakaran’s side.
