The Kottayam skirmish between the Congress and the Kerala Congress(M) appears to have become a distraction for the United Democratic Front (UDF) which was making elaborate preparations to take on the Pinarayi Vijayan government on the occasion of its first anniversary in office by highlighting its long list of failures.
The Congress leadership is now expending its entire energy to attack Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani for his decision to strike an understanding with the Communist Party of India(Marxist) in the Kottayam district panchayat president election.
Senior Congress leaders, in their utterances, attempted to depict the incident as “betrayal” and a let down on the part of Mr. Mani, especially after the local Kerala Congress (M) and Congress leaders had arrived at an understanding on sharing power in the district panchayat.
ADVERTISEMENT
With hindsight, it seems that the Congress leaders took Mr. Mani for granted, especially in a district such as Kottayam perceived by Congress leaders as one of its strong holds. There Mr. Mani might have been forced to soften his stand owing to the rather stiff reactions of the Congress and a section of his party leaders, but that does not change the fact that control of Kottayam district panchayat has slipped out of the UDF’s hands.
The KPCC ‘s political affairs committee slated to be held on Tuesday will find it irresistible to indulge in Mani bashing considering the low trust levels the two parties have. This might take the focus off the proposed campaign against the LDF government and its first anniversary. The UDF will also meet shortly to decide a plan of action to put the LDF government on the dock. It appears that Mr. Mani might turn out to be a distraction for the Congress leaders.