Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan on Thursday demanded strong disciplinary action against two fellow Congress legislators — Lok Sabha member K. Sudhakaran and Rajya Sabha member Jebi Mather — for making public statements in direct violation of a directive issued by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph. The demand underscores a deepening internal crisis within the Indian National Congress (Congress) in Kerala, even as the party holds power in the state.

How the Public Feud Unfolded

The first salvo in the latest round of public recriminations was reportedly fired by Lok Sabha member and United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor Adoor Prakash, after which criticism spilled openly into the public domain. KPCC president Sunny Joseph, who also holds the Power portfolio in the Kerala government, had urged party leaders to behave responsibly and refrain from airing internal grievances publicly. That appeal, it appears, did not take hold.

Unnithan argued that neither Sudhakaran nor Mather held any special privileges within the party that would exempt them from the leadership's instructions. He took particular exception to Sudhakaran's public expression of displeasure over his removal as KPCC president, noting that the transition had not occurred overnight and that Sudhakaran had had multiple prior opportunities to raise his concerns through internal channels. Preparing a written statement and reading it out publicly, Unnithan said, amounted to a serious breach of party discipline.

Criticism of Mather's Intervention

Unnithan was equally dismissive of Jebi Mather's public remarks, pointing out that previous Mahila Congress presidents had not publicly commented on internal party affairs. He questioned whether Mather believed she held any special authority to do so — a pointed rhetorical challenge that highlighted the sensitivity around seniority and privilege within the organisation.

The Warning That Raised Eyebrows

The most consequential element of Unnithan's intervention was less the criticism itself and more his conditional warning: if the party leadership failed to act against the alleged violations, he and others would feel free to speak out publicly as well. He stated they had 'plenty to say' and would do so regardless of the consequences — a statement that implicitly threatened to widen the very rift the leadership has been trying to contain.

This comes amid a broader pattern in which Congress appeals for internal restraint are routinely followed by fresh public outbursts. Notably, this cycle has repeated itself multiple times in Kerala in recent years, suggesting the party's internal communication and grievance-resolution mechanisms are strained.

Why This Matters

The timing is particularly significant. Kerala's Congress is in power — a period when internal disagreements might ordinarily be expected to yield to the demands of governance. Instead, the familiar cycle has returned: a leadership appeal for discipline, followed almost immediately by fresh demands for action against those who ignored it. The episode raises questions about whether the KPCC's current leadership structure commands sufficient authority to enforce collective responsibility across the party's various factions and power centres.

How the KPCC leadership responds to Unnithan's ultimatum in the coming days will likely determine whether this episode is contained or escalates further into the public domain.