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The stage is set for a political and legal battle in Kerala over the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's allegations against Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudhakaran in connection with a minor girl's rape for which self-styled controversial antiques dealer Monson Mavunkal was sentenced to imprisonment for life on June 17.
The CPI-M's allegations were termed a political conspiracy by the opposition Congress which accused the Left party of stooping low to target its political opponents.
Top leaders of the grand old party in Kerala also warned of legal action against the CPI-M and its state secretary MV Govindan for the statements that he made linking Sudhakaran to the rape case.
Govindan, citing a report that appeared in his party's mouthpiece Deshabhimani, a day ago claimed that the minor victim in the rape case told the crime branch that Sudhakaran was present at one of the locations where she was raped by Mavunkal, and therefore the crime branch might question the KPCC leader.
However, hours later on the same day, in a setback for the CPI-M, the crime branch wing of the Kerala police said no such statement was ever made by the minor victim.
Further complicating matters for the Left party, Monson, according to his lawyer MG Sreejith, on Monday told a court in Kochi that one of the senior investigating officers of the crime branch had pressured him to give a statement that Sudhakaran was present at one of the locations where the minor victim was raped.
"He further told the court, over video conferencing from the jail, that the officer pressured him to also state that Rs 25 lakh was given to Sudhakaran," the lawyer told reporters outside court.
The pressure tactics took place while he was being taken back to jail by the Crime Branch after his sentencing on Saturday, June 17, the lawyer said.
Advocate Sreejith also revealed that the court asked Mavunkal to forward a written complaint to it in this regard through the jail superintendent.
He told reporters that, being Mavunkal's lawyer, he also has a copy of all the documents -- including the FIR and the victim's statements to the police and the court -- of the rape case and in none of them has the girl named Sudhakaran.
Amidst this latest blow to the CPI-M, senior Congress leaders, including Sudhakaran, came to the fore and lambasted the Left party's state secretary for his statements made a day earlier at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram and claimed it was part of a "conspiracy" to defame leaders of the opposition party.
AICC general secretary and MP KC Venugopal said that Govindan's statement indicated that "there is a clear political conspiracy" to frame the KPCC chief when there are just five to eight months left before the Lok Sabha elections.
"The case against Sudhakaran is a part of the political conspiracy to target political opponents, and MV Govindan has shown by his statements that he is the main conspirator," Venugopal said at a press conference held in Kannur.
He also said that Kerala police need to take action against Govindan for his statements misquoting a rape victim.
"What he said was not something minor. He cannot just walk away after making such statements. He has to answer for it," the AICC general secretary said.
Along similar lines, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly VD Satheesan too demanded action against the CPI-M state secretary and the Left party's mouthpiece for what they said about the KPCC chief.
"Even Mavunkal has told the court that he was forced and threatened repeatedly by the crime branch investigating officer to name Sudhakaran. So it has to be investigated," he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram.
Satheesan further said that it all indicated that there is a conspiracy, centred around the chief minister's office, to defame opposition leaders and that the CPI-M state secretary is also supporting that.
"Therefore, if the government does not initiate action against them, we will be forced to opt for legal remedies," he said.
Sudhakaran too came to the fore to chastise Govindan and the CPI-M.
In a Facebook post he told the CPI-M state secretary to uphold the dignity of the position he holds.
He also questioned why Govindan and CPI-M cannot make political allegations with a "modicum of decency".
Later at a press conference in Kannur, the KPCC chief too said that the cheating case as well as the latest allegations against him were part of a political conspiracy to defame him, and that it indicated the levels to which a state government would stoop to.
"I never imagined they could stoop to such levels," he said.
Lashing out at Govindan, a teacher by profession, Sudhakaran said he was ashamed to call him a "teacher".
"I will make him answer for his statements. I will opt for legal remedies against him," he added.
The KPCC president also claimed that he did not know nor had any connection with the complainants in the cheating case in which Mavunkal is the prime accused and he is the second accused.
Sudhakaran is facing a Crime Branch probe in connection with the cheating case and has been asked to appear before the agency in that matter.
The crime branch had decided to interrogate the KPCC president on the basis of a statement by complainants who lost their money in the cheating case.
They had claimed that they handed over money to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran.
Cherthala native Mavunkal, who claims to be in possession of rare and historic antiques, was arrested by the Crime Branch in September 2021. He is facing charges of having swindled Rs 10 crore from several people.