Congress: The Party That Killed Its Own

These haunting words from Padmaja, daughter-in-law of Wayanad District Congress Committee Treasurer N.M. Vijayan, exposes the true colors of the party. 

Vijayan, a senior Congress leader, and his son Jijesh, who lived with disabilities, tragically took their own lives after being ensnared in a bank appointment scam orchestrated by Congress leaders. In his suicide note, Vijayan named MLA I.C. Balakrishnan and District Congress Committee (DCC) President N.D. Appachan as betrayers.

Shockingly, despite their roles in the scam and involvement in the suicides, these leaders continue to hold office with no accountability from the party leadership. Worse still, the grieving family has been met with silence from the senior leadership, including MP Priyanka Gandhi, who visited Wayanad without even acknowledging their pain. 

This tragedy is not isolated. In Wayanad alone, five Congress workers or associates have died by suicide in recent years, reportedly due to internal conflicts or betrayal. Former DCC General Secretary P.V. John died by suicide at the Congress office after alleged internal sabotage led to a poor election outcome. Other reported cases include Pulpally residents Rajendran Nair and panchayat member Jose Nelledam.

Similar incidents have been reported from other districts. In Thiruvananthapuram, Congress worker and journalist Anand Shashi died by suicide following fraud linked to a Congress-affiliated cooperative society, with the society’s president also meeting the same fate. 

In Cherupuzha, Kannur, contractor Joseph Muthuparakkunnel died by suicide following financial distress. He had not received Rs. 1.34 crore owed for the construction of Congress-owned Karunakaran memorial hospital. His son wrote in an open letter to then-Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Mullappally Ramachandran: “Congress leaders killed my father.”

Besides those who died helplessly due to betrayal, there are also Congress leaders and workers who lost their lives in the party’s internal factionalism. Bashir, a Kerala Students Union (KSU-Congress's student's wing) leader and student magazine editor at Mattannur’s Pazhassi Raja College, was beaten to death with wooden sticks in front of the college canteen — by fellow KSU members. From Thrissur, Congress leaders Madhu Eechareth, Lalji Kollannur, and A.C. Hanifa also lost their lives due to such intra-party disputes.

It’s not just political opponents being attacked or killed — Congress has a long history of killing their own loyal flag-bearers. The party still bears the guilt of brutally murdering Moyarath Sankaran, a freedom fighter who helped write Congress’s own history, in Kannur. From such a party, society cannot expect anything better.

More recently, Rahul Mankootathil, the State President and Palakkad MLA, was accused of sexual misconduct by members of a senior Congress leader’s family. Yet, the Congress party remained silent. Despite the serious nature of the allegations—and the fact that the victim belongs to a prominent Congress leader’s own family—the party failed to take a clear or principled stand, choosing instead to shield the accused.

Women leaders who dare to speak out are subjected to humiliation on social media by organised troll armies. Ordinary party workers are now so disillusioned and ashamed that they can no longer hold their heads high. Instead of acting as a responsible political organisation, the Congress has become a symbol of betrayal—one that turns its back on its own workers.