The Congress on Sunday slammed Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan for attempting to link Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran with a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case involving self-styled antiquities dealer Monson Mavunkal, calling the allegation baseless.
Talking to reporters in Kannur, Mr. Sudhakaran reacted strongly to Mr. Govindan’s allegation that the POCSO case victim had given a statement that he was present at Monson’s property when she was abused. He said he would initiate legal action against Mr. Govindan for making defamatory remarks against him.
‘Ready to end career’
He also asked Mr. Govindan to explain how he had obtained the content of a secret statement given by the POCSO case victim. Blaming the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] for targeting him, Mr. Sudhakaran said he was ready to end his political career if evidence could be produced against him.
Responding to Mr. Govindan’s claim, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of trying to silence dissent by framing false cases against the KPCC president and journalists. If at all the POCSO case victim had given such a statement, the court should have been informed about it. The court had convicted Monson on Friday after a trial, Mr. Satheesan pointed out, terming Mr. Govindan’s claim baseless.
‘’If at all there was a statement against Mr. Sudhakaran as Mr. Govindan claims, why was it not taken seriously earlier? If that was indeed the case, Mr. Sudhakaran should have been listed as a witness then and there and his statement recorded,’‘ he said, adding that no one with a basic grasp of legal matters would believe that Mr. Sudhakaran can be implicated in a case where the court has already given its verdict.
‘Silencing dissent’
Mr. Satheesan said the LDF government was trying to level allegations against United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders to counter the barrage of charges against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Attempts were being made to silence dissenting voices, he said. ‘‘The CPI(M) has deviated from the Left bloc to an extreme Right position under Pinarayi Vijayan. What is to be said if Mr. Govindan has not understood the CPI(M)‘s shift to the Modi line?’‘ he said.
