Palakkad (Kerala) | CPI(M) leader and former MLA P K Sasi has resigned as Chairman of KTDC amid speculation that the UDF is holding discussions with him to contest the upcoming Assembly election.
Sasi told reporters here on Thursday that he had submitted his resignation to the Tourism Minister, the Tourism Director and the Tourism Secretary.
He said he was stepping down from the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) for personal reasons and clarified that he has not resigned from the CPI(M) or from his trade union positions.
"Till now, I have not looked for an alternative. What happens in the future cannot be predicted," he said.
Denying any talks with the Congress-led UDF, Sasi said he remains a follower of Left politics.
"I follow Marxist-Leninist ideology, and that can be seen from my work over the past 40-45 years. It is not appropriate to ask whether I will switch to the UDF," he said.
Sasi said the claims by UDF leaders followed recent protests and sloganeering by Left supporters against him in the Manarcad area.
"UDF leaders who witnessed those protests want to make use of it. I have never been contacted by any UDF leader so far," he said.
He added that he regularly speaks with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and that there is nothing unusual about visiting his residence.
"I am not ready to disclose what I discussed with him," he said.
Sasi also denied reports that he had joined hands with party rebels or held discussions with them to contest the election.
"I resigned for personal reasons. It is only circumstantial that I stepped down when the election is near," he said.
Sasi said that despite earlier disciplinary action, he continues to remain in the CPI(M).
Sasi, who had earlier represented the Shornur Assembly constituency, was demoted from the CPI(M) Palakkad district committee to the branch committee in 2024 following allegations of financial irregularities against him.
Recently, there were reports that the UDF leadership was in talks with him to field him from the Ottapalam constituency in the forthcoming election.
CPI(M) Palakkad district secretary E N Suresh Babu told reporters that he learned of the resignation through the media and said Sasi might have his own reasons for stepping down.
He said the intention behind the resignation was not known but expressed the view that Sasi was unlikely to leave the party.
"I think there is no chance of him leaving the party. What is appearing in the media is guesswork. He is still a party member," Babu said.
When asked about reports of Sasi holding discussions with the UDF, Babu sought evidence to substantiate the claim.
He alleged that leaders in the Congress and the UDF were engaged in creating "fake narratives", including against the LDF government.
"It is meaningless to discuss the exit of a person who is still in the party. I don’t think he would leave the party now," Babu said.
Sasi had also not attended the LDF’s state-wide rally.
Senior CPI(M) leader A K Balan said Sasi had clarified that he missed the rally due to health reasons.
"I am not an astrologer to say whether he will go to the UDF. Let it happen before I comment," Balan said.
