Congress suspends ex-Minister for calling Rahul a 'joker'

Mustafa, who was a minister in the K Karunakaran Ministry in the early 1990s, had told a news conference in Kochi yesterday that Rahul depended on a coterie close to him during the campaign and said “acting like a joker” would not help in elections.

“He (Rahul) should resign from the party. He should not continue. If he doesn't resign voluntarily, he should be removed. He acted like a joker(during the poll campaign)....,” Mustafa had said.

Taking exception to the remark, the Youth Congress state President Dean Kuriakose raised the issue at the meeting and demanded expulsion of Mustafa from the party for his fulmination at the central leadership.

The Congress and its UDF allies have done comparatively well in Kerala bagging 12 of the 20 seats at stake, but the party suffered some glaring losses with the LDF wresting its traditional strongholds like Idukki and Chalakkudi.

Though a KPCC Executive member, Mustafa, known for his penchant for targeting leaders in the state, did not turn up at the meeting today, sources said.