THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the humiliating defeat in the Chengannur bypoll, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) mouthpiece ‘Veekshanam’ on Saturday published an editorial rebuking the party leadership.The strongly-worded piece called for an overhaul of the organisational structure with a generational change in the leadership.After the editorial kicked up a storm in party circles, KPCC president M M Hassan stated that the piece did not reflect the party’s opinion. Hassan added that action will be taken against those responsible for publishing it.
Excerpts from the editorial
Leaders are only interested in the reconstitution of the KPCC and DCCs. Assembly and booth-level committees have almost become defunct. Leaders making trips to Delhi for “reconstitution” making tall claims and returning without gaining anything has been a regular phenomenon.At present, party reconstitution efforts remain like “Rameswarathe Kshouram” (shaving at Rameswaram) - a colloquial usage to describe half-finished works. The call to stamp out groupism in the party is a cheap and distorted tactic to earn applause. Diversity is the soul of democracy. Different points of view and space for expression are important requisites for internal democracy in the party. The Congress does not lose elections or gets weakened by groupism, but what breaks the back of the party is the elevation of incompetent persons as group heads.
Sycophants who stoop to any low to please leaders are the biggest curse of the party. The party will not succeed until it has efficient leaders and workers right from the booth level.The leadership of the party should be transferred to a generation that is contemporary and having political responsibility, intellect and fighting spirit. The party should become an organisation of small and big leaders with a clean image who are accountable and transparent.