THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader VM Sudheeran has called for a “cooling off” time for politicians who switch sides. The rising trend of defections is a challenge to political morality, he said.

“Parties welcoming leaders from rival organisations should give a cooling off period to them. This should be applicable for assigning organisational responsibilities and parliamentary positions,” he said. He was speaking after inaugurating the MI Shanavas commemoration here on Thursday.

The senior leader’s remarks come hardly a week after former BJP leader Sandeep Varier moved to the Congress.

Sudheeran raised concern over the undemocratic practices under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the Enforcement Directorate and other central investigation agencies were being misused to coerce rival party leaders to join the BJP. The anti-defection law should be comprehensively reformed. The Congress leader also called for Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian’s resignation in the wake of the High Court’s criticism.

Sudheeran recalled his long association with Shanavas that started during his tenure as KPCC president. Shanavas’ leadership helped the organisation to win college and university union elections, he said.

He played an important role in the anti-GAIL pipeline agitation. “Only because of the protests led by him, the state government was forced to double the compensation for landowners,” he said.