Congress not a party that silences voices: K.C. Venugopal

Shashi Tharoor is an integral part of the Congress party, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal has said.

Speaking to mediapersons in Alappuzha on Saturday (June 21, 2025), Mr. Venugopal said the Congress is a party that upholds freedom of expression. “The Congress is not a party that silences or expels someone just because they expressed an opinion. It has its own ideologies and goals, and everyone is expected to align with them. However, if the Lakshman Rekha is crossed, the party has the right to take action. That said, the Congress is not a party that violates anyone’s freedom of expression or freedom of movement,” he said.

He said that Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal’s announcement to distribute welfare pensions from June 20 was made solely to influence voters in the Nilambur Assembly constituency. The Congress leader said it was a blatant violation of the model code of conduct. “The announcement was made on June 16, just three days before the election. The Election Commission should take it seriously. The UDF will consider filing a formal complaint. The government should stop deceiving the people,” Mr. Venugopal said, adding that the pensions had not yet been distributed to beneficiaries.

The Alappuzha MP said that he had strongly criticised the practice of distributing welfare pension arrears during the Nilambur byelection period. “Welfare pension is the rightful entitlement of ordinary citizens. They deserve to receive it without arrears. This government came to power promising to raise the pension amount to ₹2,500. Now, as its term nears completion, the amount remains at ₹1,600. I criticised the practice of holding back pensions and releasing them during elections. The Left Democratic Front made a huge uproar over it. They staged a march to my house and even burnt me in effigy,” he said.

Mr. Venugopal said that the United Democratic Front (UDF) was confident of victory in the Nilambur byelection. “The UDF faced the polls as a unified force. The Indian Union Muslim League showed even more enthusiasm than the Congress. A strong sense of unity was evident in the UDF in Nilambur. All Congress leaders and workers worked together in solidarity,” the AICC general secretary said.

He also criticised Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. “The Governor’s post is the highest constitutional position in a State. He himself has chosen to denigrate its significance. This is not a position to be used for selfish political interests. President Droupadi Murmu should intervene in such matters. Without delay, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should write to the President, pointing out that the Governor’s post is being misused. Why is the Chief Minister not ready to do so?,” Mr. Venugopal asked.