Pinarayi Vijayan says he is proud to be from a toddy-tapper family

Sudhakaran criticised the extravagance of Pinarayi Vijayan by stating that a person who emerged from a toddy tapper family was now using a helicopter

Kerala Chief Minister Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that Congress MP K Sudhakaran's statement that he is from a toddy tapper family is not insulting as he is indeed proud of that.

Vijayan said that he himself has reiterated his background that he is from a toddy-tapper family. His father and brothers were engaged in the job and he felt proud of it. Hence he did not felt insulted by Sudhakaran’s statement.

Read | Row over 'toddy tapper' remark against Kerala CM by Congress MP

Making an indirect reference to the infighting in the Congress, he said that that it was only Congress leaders who triggered a row over Sudhakaran’s statement.

Meanwhile, Congress senior leaders including Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, who earlier flayed Sudhakaran for the remark, had retracted from his earlier stand. He said that Sudhakaran only criticised the extravagance of Pinarayi Vijayan by stating that a person who emerged from a toddy tapper family was now using a helicopter to commute.

Congress MLA Shanimol Osman who earlier demanded Sudhakaran tender an apology, on Friday tendered his apology to Sudhakaran.

Sudhakaran, who is a working president of Kerala PCC, had recently said openly that he wished to be PCC president and had conveyed his desire to the party leadership as well.