Union Minister Suresh Gopi reportedly called former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi the “mother of India” and late Congress Chief Minister K Karunakaran a “courageous administrator”.
Gopi, who is Bharatiya Janata Party’s first MP from Kerala, said Karnuakaran and Marxist veteran EK Nayanar are his “political gurus”, news agency PTI reported.
He said this while speaking to reporters after visiting the memorial of Karunakaran, “Murali Mandiram” located in Punkunnam. The BJP leader said he came to Karunakaran memorial to pay his respects to his “guru”, while urging mediapersons not to add any political connotation to his visit.
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Notaly, Suresh Gopi had won the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency by dashing the hopes of Karunakaran’s son and Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who finished third in a triangular contest in the April 26 elections.
As per a PTI report, Gopi said that, as he viewed Indira Gandhi as “bharathathinte mathavu” (mother of India), Karunakaran was the “father of the Congress party in the state” for him.
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He explained that describing Karunakaran as the “father” of the Congress in Kerala did not mean disrespect to the founders or co-founders of the grand old party in the southern state.
The actor-turned-politician also hailed the administrative capabilities of the Congress veteran and dubbed him as a “courageous administrator” of his generation.
He further said though he had expressed his desire to visit the Murali Mandiram in 2019 also, the veteran’s daughter Padmaja Venugopal, who recently defected to the BJP, discouraged him due to political reasons.
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Later, Suresh Gopi also visited the famous Lourde Mata Church in the city and offered prayers. He and his family’s presentation of a golden crown to the idol of St Mary during his daughter’s marriage was used by his political opponents to target him, alleging that it was not made of yellow metal but copper.
Gopi won the Thrissur seat in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, opening an account for the BJP in Kerala. Thrissur had witnessed a three-way contest for the Lok Sabha polls, with major candidates from the Congress, BJP, and CPI locked in a neck-and-neck battle.
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Published: 15 Jun 2024, 02:09 PM IST