Cherian had quit Congress before 2001 Assembly elections after the party denied him a ticket. He was seen as sulking in the Left camp recently since CPI(M) did accommodate him in Parliamentary politics.
Two decades after he left Congress to join CPI(M), senior leader Cherian Philip on Friday returned to the Congress, contending that there is no freedom of expression in the Left party.
Cherian had quit Congress before 2001 Assembly elections after the party denied him a ticket. He was seen as sulking in the Left camp recently since CPI(M) did accommodate him in Parliamentary politics.
Cherian announced his decision to return to Congress after meeting his one-time mentor and senior party leader A K Antony.
Cherian, 67, who has authored a few works on Kerala politics, told the media: “While in Congress, I had the freedom to criticise senior leaders K Karunakaran and Antony. That freedom is not there in CPI(M). If I criticise CPI(M) leaders, I will become their enemy. There is no freedom of expression in that party.”
Stating that the party has changed now, Cherian said, “I had left Congress in protest against power monopoly — I was against the practice of a section of leaders dominating Parliamentary politics. Now, by bringing changes in party leadership, Congress has implemented what I had stated 20 years ago. Congress is the only alternative to fascist forces.”
Cherian had demanded a winnable seat in the Assembly elections after joining CPI(M) but it did not materialise. “CPI(M) had promised me a Rajya Sabha seat, but at the last moment I was dropped from the list. CPI(M) wanted to send a senior leader to Rajya Sabha. I know the limitations of CPI(M),’’ he said.
Last week, Cherian had criticised Kerala’s management of the recent floods in the state, asking what the state government had learnt from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s visit to the Netherlands after the flood of 2018. A few days later, he had shared the dais with former CM and Congress leader Oommen Chandy.
After he quit Congress, CPI(M) had made Cherian chairman of a public sector entity in the tourism sector from 2006 to 2011. The previous Vijayan government had made him coordinator of the state’s flagship project New Kerala Mission. The present government had offered him the post of vice-chairman of Khadi Board, but he had declined it.
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