All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday (January 20, 2026) alleged that the controversy over Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar omitting portions of the policy address, later read out by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was an electoral theatrics staged jointly by the Governor and the Chief Minister.
Speaking to the media in Kannur, Mr. Venugopal said the episode appeared to be a scripted act in which space was deliberately created for the Governor to delete portions, while simultaneously giving the Chief Minister an opportunity to respond theatrically.
He asked why such omissions were never highlighted earlier if the Governor had the practise of striking out portions of the address. Recalling the tenure of former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, he said the Chief Minister and his colleagues had remained silent even when substantial deletions were made in policy addresses in the past.
Criticising Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian recent statement that communal polarisation was evident in the recently local body polls as seen by the names of those who had won in the Malappuram district panchayat and Kasaragod municipality, Mr. Venugopal described his remarks as “deplorable” and detrimental to Kerala’s social fabric.
“If the Chief Minister had any integrity, he should remove the Minister,” Mr. Vengopal demanded.
He said the right to vote was an essence of democracy. Kerala’s electorate, he said, did not vote along religious or communal lines, pointing out that candidates from different communities had won in constituencies with contrasting demographic profiles, including himself in the Lok Sabha elections.
On the Sabarimala gold theft case, Mr. Venugopal alleged that the delay in filing the chargesheet was a deliberate attempt by the SIT to slow down the investigation, which could lead to accused Unnikrishnan Potti securing statutory bail. This, he said, was evidence of government pressure.
He maintained that the government, which allegedly facilitated the Sabarimala gold theft, had no moral right to continue in power and that the real culprits were still at large. Forensic examinations, he claimed, had confirmed the loss of gold.
While stating that the Congress was not opposed to an Enforcement Directorate probe, Mr. Venugopal said only a court-monitored investigation would ensure that the real accused were brought to light. The Opposition, he said, was demanding a Central agency probe under judicial supervision, with all examinations at Sabarimala conducted strictly as per court directions.
Rejecting allegations of communal bias, Mr. Venugopal said the Congress did not align with any form of sectarianism and that secularism flowed in the party’s vein.
The Congress, he said, carried all sections of society together and remained an inclusive party engaging with forward, backward and minority communities alike understanding their concerns while firmly articulating its own positions.
Fostering hatred among communities was not the Congress way, he added, asserting that the party believed in spreading love rather than hatred and would never support attempts to promote divisive politics.
Published – January 20, 2026 04:48 pm IST
