The Congress party in Kerala kicked out youth leader and digital media cell convenor P. Sarin on “disciplinary grounds” after he lashed out against Youth Congress State President Rahul Mamamkoottathil’s candidature in Palakkad bypolls. Sarin also lashed out against Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan and said he has hijacked the Congress party.
Addressing presspersons at Palakkad on Thursday, Sarin charged Satheeshan believes he is the party and hijacked Congress’s democratic structure. “Satheesan has upended everything. He believes he is the party. He has undermined the democratic nature and internal strengths of Congress,” OnManorama quoted Sarin as saying. He also charged Palakkad by-election candidate Mamkootathil is a “mini version” of Satheeshan. Sarin also criticised the Congress for fielding former Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil as a candidate from Vadakara during Lok Sabha polls.
Sarin, an MBBS doctor who secured the 555th rank in the civil services examination, had served as the deputy accountant general of Kerala and Karnataka. He resigned from the civil service in 2016 to pursue a full-time career in politics. In 2021, Congress fielded him in the Ottapalam constituency, which also falls under the Palakkad Lok Sabha seat. Although Sarin lost by 15,152 votes, he did increase Congress's vote share by 3.05 per cent.
Sarin had mocked Mamkoothil’s candidature and said, “Some think putting Insta reels and statuses alone would make them popular.” Sarin on Wednesday said he had written to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi against Mamkoothil’s candidature.
Sarin was appointed as the party’s digital media head after former Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s son, Anil Antony, left Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speculations are abuzz that Sarin is likely to contest the bypolls as CPI(M)-backed independent candidate.