: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister for Home Ramesh Chennithala have jointly urged All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice president Rahul Gandhi to ensure that the party extends all cooperation for the smooth functioning of the government.
The two leaders met Mr. Gandhi late Tuesday night. Mr. Chandy reportedly pointed out the lack of coordination between the party and the government, similar to the one that prevailed prior to the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress could do well in the Lok Sabha elections only because of the coordination between the party and the government, they pointed out. If the current trend is not corrected, its impact will be felt in the upcoming local bodies’ elections and the subsequent Assembly elections, the two leaders are reported to have told Mr. Gandhi.
A group of Ministers, led by Aryadan Mohammed and K.C. Joseph, reportedly expressed their reservations about unnecessary interventions by the KPCC in the functioning of the government. This would have a serious impact on the UDF government’s performance, they reportedly told Mr. Gandhi. INTUC State president R Chandrasekharan came out openly against the new liquor policy.
Most leaders were in near unanimity that there should be better coordination between the party and the government. In his speech at the KPCC executive committee meeting, Mr. Sudheeran had specifically mentioned that the differences in opinion with leaders on some issues had never escalated into personal conflicts.
Sources said Mr. Gandhi had expressed the view that the party leadership should carry all sections together and be more flexible in its approach.
