All who smile are not friends, Chennithala tells Sudhakaran

‘No one defended my when I was accused of being pro-BJP’

Former Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala seemed to strike an emotionally candid tone at a public function marking the elevation of K. Sudhakaran, MP, as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president on Wednesday. Mr. Chennithala said none had come to his defence when political detractors attempted to portray him as a proponent of Hindu right-wing majoritarian politics. “They accused me of being the ideological echo chamber of the BJP in Kerala. I had no one to defend me,” he said. Mr. Chennithala also seemed not to hide his bitterness at being not notified in advance of the party’s decision to remove him from the post of Leader of the Opposition. He appeared to obliquely suggest that behind-the-scenes manoeuvring by former loyalists had led to his alleged sidelining.