Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 The Congress party’s centenary celebration of the historic meeting between Mahatma Gandhi and Sree Narayana Guru has stirred political chatter in Kerala, as two ‘disgruntled’ Communist leaders are set to attend the event on Wednesday.
Former state ministers G. Sudhakaran (CPI-M) and C. Divakaran (CPI), both of whom served in the 2006-11 cabinet under V.S. Achuthanandan, will be the chief guests at the event at the Congress state headquarters.
The meeting will be inaugurated by Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan and chaired by veteran Congress leader and former state party president V.M. Sudheeran.
Though neither Sudhakaran nor Divakaran has publicly distanced themselves from their respective parties, both are known to have strained relationships with their leadership.
Despite his reputation as one of the cleanest leaders in the CPI-M, G. Sudhakaran has been sidelined by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan since 2021. Ironically, he once enjoyed respect from the Congress-led UDF while serving in the cabinets of both Achuthanandan and Vijayan (2016-21). His exclusion from the recent four-day CPI-M state conference, where he was not even invited, has only deepened his discontent.
Adding to the speculation, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal recently visited Sudhakaran at his residence in Alappuzha, Venugopal’s Lok Sabha constituency. While both leaders termed it a casual meeting, it has fueled political intrigue.
Divakaran, on the other hand, has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of both Vijayan and his party after being denied a ticket in the 2021 assembly elections. His political standing suffered further when he finished third in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His sporadic barbs at the CPI and Vijayan have signaled his growing frustration.
With Sudhakaran snubbed from the Kollam CPI-M event and Divakaran’s presence at the Congress function, the duo’s participation is drawing significant media attention.
The event marks the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s meeting with Sree Narayana Guru on March 12, 1925, at Vanajakshi Mandiram near Sivagiri, about 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram. On that day, the two leaders sat together on a Khadi rug, symbolizing their shared vision of social reform.
As the Congress hosts this milestone event, the presence of two sidelined Communist leaders could add a layer of political significance to the occasion.
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