Cultural Affairs Minister K.C. Joseph has come down heavily on Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice president V.D. Satheeshan, MLA, for stating that rampant corruption had cast a black shadow on the United Democratic Front (UDF) government.
Mr. Joseph, perceived to be close to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, said on Saturday that Mr. Satheeshan’s words had cast the government in bad light. He had lent a voice to the Opposition. Mr. Satheeshan should not presume to be the party’s high command. He should be mindful that he was just one of the six vice presidents of the Congress in Kerala.
The Minister reacted sharply to a barrage of questions on the issue at a press conference held to announce the UDF government’s fourth anniversary.
He said A.K. Antony’s statement on rampant corruption reflected a universal truth. His was no comment on the government. Mr. Antony’s words were twisted out of context.
He had never said that there was corruption at the government’s apex level. No motive could be attributed to his words. However, Mr. Satheeshan was no Antony. The party heeded Mr. Antony’s words, Mr. Joseph said.
He said whatever Mr. Satheeshan said in private and in party committees was immediately reflected on television news channels. Inner-party democracy often had such unintended fallouts. It was a misfortune of the Congress that all its internal affairs often ended up being debated in the open.
He said Mr. Satheeshan’s statement that the public perceived the government as corrupt had no factual basis. No Congressman should pawn off his voice to Opposition propagandists.
