Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran has pushed for organisational revamp and correction of the Congress party’s programmes and policies.
Mr. Sudheeran is understood to have presented his case at a review meeting of the Lok Sabha results, being conducted by an AICC committee headed by CWC member A.K. Antony in Delhi on Thursday. The committee, comprising AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik and AICC secretaries Avinash Pande and R.C. Khuntia, held separate review meetings with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Mahila Congress State president Bindu Krishna, campaign committee chairman C.V. Padmarajan, and State Youth Congress president Dean Kuriakose.
UDF convener P.P. Thankachan, who too had been invited to give his views, could not make it to Delhi because of health reasons.
Mr. Sudheeran is understood to have pin-pointed the organisational shortcomings that contributed to be the defeat of the Congress in four seats. Overall, the UDF had done much above expectations, but the defeat of Congress candidates should be properly evaluated and necessary corrections should be made, he reportedly told the committee.
The party had appointed a committee headed by former KPCC president C.V. Padmarajan to analyse the reasons for the party candidates’ defeats in Kannur, Thrissur, Chalakudy, and Idukki. Mr. Sudheeran reportedly told the panel that the Central government’s decision on petroleum prices and Kasturirangan report seriously affected the Congress party and the UDF even though there was no anti-incumbency wave during the elections. He said there would be clear-cut follow up on the report submitted by the Padmarajan panel. At the national level, the Congress leadership needs to look at the communal polarisation that has resulted in the victory for the BJP. He wanted the Congress High Command to extend support to the KPCC’s efforts to focus on popular agitations that had a direct bearing on the common man’s problems.
With the local body elections coming up soon, Mr. Sudheeran’s call for organisational reforms assumes much significance. Read along with his current focus on campaigns against proliferation of liquor and substance abuse, his demand for a change in policies and programmes is equally significant.
