Kottayam (Kerala), Sep 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) The conviction of Pala MLA Mani C. Kappan in a cheque case has reopened an old political battle, with Kerala Congress-Mani Chairman Jose K. Mani on Friday describing the court verdict as an insult to the entire constituency and calling upon the Congress-led UDF to take a clear stand on whether he should continue as MLA.
Jose Mani, who himself contested the Pala seat against Kappan, said it was for Kappan to decide whether he should resign following the court verdict.
However, he insisted that the UDF should make its position clear on the issue.
Jose Mani cited the precedent of his father and veteran Kerala Congress leader K.M. Mani, who had resigned as a minister following a mere court observation, to underline his demand for a clear UDF stand.
The remarks come against the backdrop of a political rivalry between the Kappan and Mani families that has shaped Pala politics for over three decades.
From 2006, Kappan, then the Left candidate, contested three successive Assembly elections against K.M. Mani, the Congress-led UDF candidate, and lost on all three occasions.
Kappan finally secured his first victory in Pala in the 2019 by-election following Mani’s death, defeating the Kerala Congress-Mani candidate, ending the Kerala Congress stalwart’s 52-year hold over the constituency.
The political equations changed dramatically ahead of the 2021 Assembly election.
Jose Mani took the Kerala Congress-Mani into the ruling Left Democratic Front, while Kappan moved to the Congress-led UDF.
Kappan retained Pala in the 2021 election, defeating Jose Mani.
The rivalry continued into the 2026 Assembly election, when Kappan once again defeated Jose Mani to retain Pala.
Against this backdrop, Jose Mani’s sharp reaction to Kappan’s conviction on Friday adds another chapter to the long-running political contest in the constituency.
Kappan, earlier this week, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs 1.20 crore by a magistrate court in Mumbai's Borivali, in a financial fraud case relating to Kannur International Airport shares.
The court directed him to pay the amount within one month, failing which he would have to undergo an additional three months in prison.
The case was filed on a complaint by Mumbai businessman Dinesh Menon.
Since the sentence is for one year, the conviction does not immediately result in disqualification from the Assembly.
Kappan has said that he would appeal against the verdict, maintaining that the judgment was delivered without hearing his side.
He has also denied owing any money and alleged that the case was part of a conspiracy against him.
The conviction, however, has given Jose Mani an opportunity to put the spotlight back on the political and ethical question of whether an MLA convicted by a court should continue in office and to demand that the UDF make its position known.
Source: IANS
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