• Home

Congress in Kerala divided over organisational polls

Trivandrum: Dissent is brewing in the Congress party that heads the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala in the run up to the local body elections that will set the tone for the Assembly elections early next year.
The differences in the party are over the reorganisation of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). While party chief V M Sudheeran wants to complete the ongoing process, the two dominant groups led by chief minister Oommen Chandy and home minister Ramesh Chennithala want it to be put on hold till the local body elections are over.
The duo had met Sudheeran at the party headquarters here on Wednesday and apprised him of the difficulties of going ahead simultaneously with the organisational revamp and preparations for the polls slated to be held in November.
They told him that it may even affect the prospects of the party in the election.
However, Sudheeran rejected the plea saying that the revamp would give the party more strength and energy to face the polls.
He pointed out that the reorganisation completed up to district level in 10 out of the 12 districts was going on smoothly and deferring it at this stage would derail the process.
The issue touched a discordant note on Thursday with the two group leaders taking up the matter with Congress Working Committee (CWC) member A K Antony, who is in the capital now. According to party sources, the two told Antony majority of the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents were in favour of postponing the reorganisation.
All DCC presidents, except one, had made a plea for postponing the revamp at the KPCC office bearers meet held on Tuesday.
The appeal of DCC presidents was rejected outright by Sudheeran. He even chided them for their inefficiency in accomplishing the tasks assigned to them.
The two groups have been wary of the moves of Sudheeran after he unilaterally included the leaders of his choice in the revamped Wayanad DCC.
He had struck off some names forwarded from the district. This has led to disenchantment among the party workers in the district.
Sudheeran, who was appointed as KPCC president at the behest of party all-India vice-president Rahul Gandhi before the Lok Sabha election against the wishes of the two groups, is apparently trying to free the party from the grip of groups. Sources close to him said that he would not allow group managers to have their way in the party as long he continued as the party chief.
The source pointed out the victory the party got at Aruvikkara by-election as an example. Sudheeran's suggestion to field former Speaker G Karthikeyan's son K S Sabarinathan was opposed by the group manager. If he had heeded to their pleas, the party would have lost the seat.
Meanwhile, party workers are worried over the emergence of discordant notes in the party before the crucial election.
They feel that it will offset the advantage that the party enjoys now. If the party is able to score well in the local body election, it will boost the morale of the workers to face the Assembly election unitedely.

• India