It was planned as a watershed moment in the history of the party. But when the Kerala Congress (M) convenes its “Mahasammelan” here later this week, no earthshaking results are expected.
It was party chairman K.M. Mani who had announced nearly six months back that the December conference would declare which way the party, which has been ploughing a lonely furrow for the past 18 months, would take its future course: to the Left or Right. Since then he has backtracked.
The conference was also expected to be the launch pad for effecting the generational change in leadership anointing Jose K. Mani, currently party vice chairman, as its chairman. Now, the junior Mr. Mani has gone on record that there is no need for a change of guard.
May be for the first time in his half-a-century long political career, Mr. Mani appears to have slipped on the timing of his move. Many believe that he was expecting that the bar bribery case would be closed by September and that he would come out clean. The case is still lingering on. It was also believed that the party could complete its organisational elections by December, making it a lean political machinery to suit the junior Mr. Mani.
Organisational elections in three more districts have to be completed on account of internal bickering. And the massive pruning of the various party bodies has left sizeable number of activists distcontended. This also include senior members of the KC(M) who have their political bases firmly in the UDF territory. Above all, in addition to Mr. Mani, Mr. Jose K. Mani too has found himself tainted in the solar scam.
The reason for KC(M)’s walkout from UDF was its tussle with the Congress .And many believe that the root cause of this clash was the fact that both parties shared a common vote base in the Central Travancore belt. The solo existence during the past 18 months and the conduct of the organisational elections have helped the party to mope up its support base, they said. The new organisation would not be as huge and unviable as the party under Mr. Mani, but a lean and efficient machinery that suited the new generation leadership, they said.
However, the KC(M) leadership, in spite of the brave front that they put up, appear to be resigned to the fact that their future is not in their own hands, but has to be decided by leaders of the major coalitions. While a section of the Congress leaders, including its high command and UDF partners such as the IUML, would like to have Mr. Mani to go with them, the situation at the grassroots is entirely different. Kottayam DCC has openly come out against the KC(M).
In the LDF, while dominant segment of the CPI(M) would like to join hands with the KC(M) as the expansion of the coalition is expected to bring in a fresh vote bank, the KC(M) is not expecting a smooth entry. In addition to the opposition from a rebel segment from the CPI(M), the CPI, which considers the KC(M) a possible threat, too is sure to raise objections. The State conferences of these two parties also have to be completed for them to make a final call on the issue.
Above all, while the party would like to have the focus on the Manis during the three-day ‘Mahasammelan’ commencing on December 14, and especially during the public show of strength on December 15, it is not unlikely that the name of P.J. Joseph, party working chairman, could elicit equal attention. With the situation remaining in such a flux, it was only natural for Mr. Mani to favour a low key make over rather than a high decibel one.
