The newly formed 21-member political affairs committee (PAC) of the Congress, which is holding its first meeting on Saturday, is expected to help the party find its feet after a brief phase of organisational paralysis caused by the miserable debacle in the elections and differences and ego clashes of senior leaders.
If one were to go by the job description of the PAC, it would look as if it is a broader platform for various leaders to have their say on the Congress party’s stand on various issues.
Since the party high command has resignedly accepted the inevitability of faction politics in the affairs of the State, the outcome would only reflect this trend. The two major factions, led by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, appear to have closed ranks in their “battle” against Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran.
The differences of the troika has further widened over the last few months. The only difference is that they have engaged in public acrimony. The session will witness heated discussions, with blame game, accusations and allegations flying.
At the end of the session, which, according to senior leaders, will be an extended one, the PAC might come out with statements and resolutions on a plethora of issues, including the unpopularity of the Pinarayi Vijayan government and the Modi government. The party will also evaluate the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) designs for Kerala and come out against the new found engagement between the BJP and the CPI(M).
There are two issues that are sure to figure at the PAC meeting. One is the reorganisation of the party apparatus. The senior leaders have differences on how the revamp process should be carried out. The second issue is related to the party’s stand on the Vigilance cases against K. Babu, who is currently being hounded by raids on his and his relatives’ residences.
While Mr. Chandy and Mr. Chennithala had termed the Vigilance cases and raids on Mr. Babu’s as political vendetta, Mr. Sudheeran had not gone to that extent.
All through the difficult times that Mr. Babu went through, Mr. Sudheeran preferred to maintain a distance. The issue before the party, according to a senior leader, is whether it will defend Mr. Babu, who was Minister in the Oommen Chandy government.
