Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala has announced a clamp down on public statements by party leaders on the Nelliampathy issue.
In a statement in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Chennithala said the clampdown had been imposed on a directive by the All India Congress Committee. The ban on public statements has been imposed against the backdrop of an unseemly row between KPCC spokesperson M.M. Hassan and party legislators V.D. Satheesan and T.N. Pratapan.
The party leadership felt that the statement war had degenerated to personal insinuations. Even though the standoff between the leaders was the outcome of personal animosity, the statements had put the party in bad light and to some extent had an impact on the image of the United Democratic Front government, which was trying to take an appropriate stand on the Nelliampathy issue. The appearance of anti-Chandy posters on the walls of the KPCC office here prompted the leadership to take a strong stand, sources said.
