Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan called on Congress veteran Oommen Chandy at his house at Puthupallly in Kottayam on Sunday to ease the strain in inner-party relations caused by the contentious appointment of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents.
The visit came a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Congress was disintegrating and the rank and file of the party had lost faith in the faction-riven leadership.
Mr. Satheesan told media persons that there were some issues in the Congress in the State. Such disputes were common in political parties, and the Congress was no exception. “You cannot close your eyes to the problems and say the world is dark,” he said.
The party would resolve concerns and bridge the communication gap between leaders, Mr. Satheesan said while adding he would meet with other senior leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala.
The Leader of the Opposition pointedly refused to answer whether the party’s official leadership, primarily Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran and Mr. Satheesan, was unyielding to suggestions from the old guard, particularly Mr. Chandy and Mr. Chennithala.
When pressed that Congress veteran and MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had raised such an allegation, Mr. Satheesan said, “I am here to settle issues and not aggravate them. I usually reserve barbed, tit-for-tat, and quick-fire repartee for political opponents and not for fellow Congress workers,” he said.
Chandy’s view
Mr. Chandy seemed not to hide his pain in “not being kept in the loop” about Congress reorganisation. “A difficult situation that pained me had occurred. There are issues in the Congress. A resolution is possible through discussions,” he told reporters.
When pressed about the KPCC official leadership’s “no group only party” mantra, Mr. Chandy said, “the Congress first and group second.”
Mr. Chandy, the face of the traditional A-group in the KPCC, had reportedly complained to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) that Mr. Sudhakaran and Mr. Satheesan had not consulted him in the appointment of DCC presidents. Moreover, KPCC president Mr. Sudhakaran had acted in bad faith by revealing the notes he had taken down during closed-door talks with Mr. Chandy about DCC leadership change.
Mr. Chandy had also reportedly pointed out to the AICC that the KPCC leadership had unilaterally appointed DCC presidents and falsely claimed that he had endorsed the list to cause disarray among A group loyalists.
Mr. Chennithala, leader of the I group, also raised a litany of similar complaints against the official leadership.
Emergent group
The A and I groups felt the incumbent “power pair” of Mr. Satheesan and Mr. Sudhakaran functioned as an emergent group in the KPCC and had the tacit backing of AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The perception had caused a realignment of forces, with Mr. Chennithala emerging as a powerful proponent of Mr. Chandy and vice versa.
Mr. Venugopal had said in Kannur recently that he headed no group.
Generational shift
The KPCC leadership had the AICC mandate to effect a generational shift in Kerala leadership. The emphasis was on merit and acceptance by the party’s rank and file rather than group loyalties.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Tariq Anwar, is scheduled to visit the State soon to address the newly appointed DCC presidents. Mr. Anwar’s mission also reportedly involved brokering a rapprochement between the official leadership of the KPCC and the A and I factions.
