The tragic flaw of T N Prathapan

Thiruvananthapuram: Sitting MLA from Kodungalloor T. N. Prathapan who had announced earlier that he will not contest the assembly elections giving hope for the Youth Congress leaders did write a letter to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi asking for the Kaippamangalam seat.

What was surprising was that a supreme body like central Congress election committee saw news being leaked out to the media on Mr Prathapan’s ‘controversial’ letter. ‘I’ group leaders managed to convey the message that all is well with them but it was the Chandy Vs. Sudheeran which resulted in the leaking of the letter.

It was for the first time in the history that news from central election committee was being leaked out. It is reliably learnt that one of the senior leaders who was attending the central election committee gave out the information through a former MP who in turn passed it on to a KPCC secretary.

Party sources told DC that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi announced in the meeting that Mr Prathapan had expressed interest in contesting the elections from Kaippamangalam. 

KPCC leadership comprising of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran and Home minister Ramesh Chennithala unilaterally said that he had actually relinquished his sitting seat. But top Congress sources told DC that Mr Gandhi read out the ‘controversial’ letter  himself from his mobile much to the embarrassment of his ‘captain’ Mr Sudheeran.

But Mr Prathapan told DC that the alleged ‘controversial’ letter was fabricated at Kerala House by a vested interest group. He said Mr Gandhi had summoned him to his home in New Delhi where he was given an ultimatum to contest the Assembly elections.

“Rahul Gandhi himself was being put in the dock which prompted AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik to openly state that I had not written any letter,” Mr Prathapan said. “I will reveal the conspirator’s names after the Assembly elections are over. Youth Congress state president Dean Kuriakose was denied a seat just because he came out with a statement against me contesting from Kaippamangalam.”