Congress does not fear politics of vendetta: Rahul after meeting Sudhakaran

On June 23, the Kerala Crime Branch arrested Sudhakaran after questioning him in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday met party's Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran who was arrested recently in a cheating case, and said the party "does not fear the politics of vendetta".

At the meeting held here, Sudhakaran was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in Kerala V D Satheesan and AICC general secretary in-charge for the state Tariq Anwar.

"The Congress party doesn't fear the politics of intimidation and vendetta," Gandhi tweeted after the meeting, sharing a picture with Kerala leaders.

The development comes after Sudhakaran had offered to quit as the president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). However, on Sunday, the KPCC chief said he would continue to lead the state Congress unit as desired by the party's senior leadership and high command.

On June 23, the state Crime Branch arrested the Kannur MP after questioning him in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal.

Meanwhile, the Vigilance Wing of the Kerala Police has intensified its probe against Sudhakaran on a complaint of graft and misappropriation of funds filed by his former driver two years ago.

As part of its investigation, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has sought the details of the income sources of his wife.

In a notice dated June 15, the VACB Kozhikode unit sought the service particulars and salary details of Smitha Sudhakaran from the school authorities where she was working.

The vigilance bureau has sought details like the net salary, including pay/DA, leave surrender, and other details, for a period starting in 2001.

According to the complaint lodged by his former driver, Prashanth Babu, in 2021, Sudhakaran allegedly siphoned off Rs 32 crore from the funds received by the K Karunakaran Trust for building a memorial to Congress stalwart and former Kerala chief minister Karunakaran -- a project that never took off.

The complaint also alleges that the KPCC president swindled funds collected for the construction of the Kannur DCC office.