Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will step in to mollify sulking Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani.
A meeting of Mr. Chandy, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran here on Tuesday authorised Mr. Chandy to hold discussions with Mr. Mani.
The troika met to work out a formula that would bring around Mr. Mani ahead of his party State committee’s two-day camp from August 6. The meeting took place ahead of a crucial meeting of senior State leaders convened by the Congress High Command on Thursday to discuss its renewed efforts at party reorganisation.
Mr. Chandy held a one-to-one meeting with Mr. Mani at his residence a few days ago, but it was only at the troika’s meeting here that he was officially given the job of mollifying Mr. Mani.
The main task before Mr. Chandy is to see whether he call pull off a conciliation ahead of the KC(M)’s Charalkunnu camp, which the party insiders are depicting as “crucial” to the future course of action.
Mr. Mani has been playing hard to get, thwarting attempts of Congress leaders to open dialogues. He has already informed them that he was open to talks only after the two-day camp.
Mr. Sudheeran later informed mediapersons that Mr. Chandy would continue the efforts to bring Mr. Mani around. “The Congress has very cordial relations with the Kerala Congress (M). There are no issues, misunderstanding or loss of connect with the leaders of that party. The discussion between Mr. Chandy and Mr. Mani will take place depending on the latter’s convenience. We don’t think Mr. Mani will turn away from dialogues. The ties between the Congress and the Kerala Congress led by Mr. Mani is decades old and he has been a close associate in the UDF. Therefore, we will make all out efforts to sort out issues,” he said.
He said the party high command would intervene if necessary. The issue is sure to figure at the Delhi meeting convened by AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi. But some of the senior leaders assert that the high command will not offer to intervene and prefer to leave it to the State leadership to sort out issues with the KC(M).
