Thrissur Mayor justifies receiving cake from BJP chief criticises CPI leader

Thrissur (Kerala), Dec 28 (PTI) LDF-backed Thrissur Mayor M K Varghese on Saturday accused CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar of raising ridiculous allegations against him and asked whether the former minister's intension was to make him join BJP.
    He alleged that Sunil Kumar seems to be not interested him standing along with the ruling CPI(M) cooperating with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and bringing changes in Thrissur by implementing new projects.
    Varghese's criticism came a day after Sunil Kumar had vehemently attacked him over his meeting with BJP state president K Surendran on Christmas Day.
    Sunil Kumar contested as LDF candidate from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in the general election held this year and lost to BJP's Suresh Gopi who ultimately became union minister. A former minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led cabinet, Sunil Kumar claimed on Friday that receiving a cake from Surendran was part of a planned political move.
    While talking to reporters here on Saturday, the Mayor rejected the allegations and said that the CPI leadership has not sought any explanation from him so far over the issue. He also said many of the councillors were also convinced that the controversy was just unwanted and sharing a cake was not a big thing.
    Claiming that he didn't understand the real intention of Sunil Kumar, the Mayor said he had doubts whether the objective of the CPI leader was to get him expelled (from the current position) and make him reach the BJP fold.
    Varghese accused Sunil Kumar of attempting to make him a scapegoat for his debacle in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Thrissur. He also justified BJP state chief Surendran of visiting him and sharing a cake on the Christmas day.
    "I am convinced that Surendran's visit with the cake was very sincere," the Mayor said. Varghese also urged Sunil Kumar to explain the BJP state president's revelation that the CPI leader had visited his house in Ulliyeri in Kozhikode and he, in turn, dropped in at his house in Anthikad in this district.
    A fresh controversy erupted after CPI leader V S Sunil Kumar on Friday told a TV channel that the issue was not about the cake but reflected a larger concern about Varghese retaining the Mayor's post despite his apparent allegiance to the BJP.
    The CPI had previously demanded Varghese's removal, citing his allegedly shifting political loyalties. Varghese also faced earlier criticism for meeting and welcoming Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate at the time.
    During the BJP's Sneha Sandesha Yathra campaign, Surendran visited Varghese and offered him a Christmas cake, sparking political backlash. Sunil Kumar alleged the gesture was deliberate, stating, "K Surendran did not offer cakes to any other mayor." He further claimed that Varghese, who was appointed under unique political circumstances, had previously worked for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections.
    In the 55-member council, both the LDF and UDF hold 24 seats each, with the BJP holding six, making Varghese's position as an independent councillor crucial to the balance of power.

    Malayalam actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi won against CPI candidate Sunil Kumar by a margin of 74,686 votes in the Thrissur constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)