THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Disintegration of prominent groups in the state Congress is happening at a faster pace than calculated by the new state leadership. Senior and middle-level leaders are severing ties with group leaders and cozying up to the leadership on a daily basis. Ramesh Chennithala’s ‘I’ group is the worst hit.
The latest to ditch him is his trusted lieutenant V S Sivakumar. The former MP and health minister, who enjoys the support of Nair Service Society, is learnt to have switched his loyalty to the new leadership. Ever since V D Satheesan replaced Chennithala as Opposition leader, it has not been a smooth ride for the latter. Several leaders who had stood firm with Chennithala for decades realised that he had become powerless. They then cozied up to the new state leadership under K Sudhakaran and Satheesan who were backed by national general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal, whose ploy has been to cripple the groups, especially Chennithala’s, of which he had been a part of.
Sources said Chennithala is shattered with Sivakumar’s exit. “Sivakumar was peeved at Chennithala for not ensuring him a state general secretary post during the recent revamp. When he was relegated to the state executive, he finally severed ties. Sivakumar had also eyed the Thiruvananthapuram DCC chief post which went in favour of Palode Ravi. The remaining loyalists of Chennithala in the state leadership are general secretary A A Shukkoor and Jyothikumar Chamakkala who had to be content with the state executive membership”, a senior Congress leader told TNIE.
At the state executive meeting on Wednesday, Shukkoor and ‘A’ group’s C Chandran objected to further revamp. The remaining leaders were in favour of the revamp and formation of Congress unit committees which will see the membership campaign gaining momentum. Another Chennithala loyalist, Alappuzha district Congress chief B Babu Prasad also favoured the state leadership’s stand, said sources.
‘He was unhappy with Chennithala’
A trusted lieutenant of Ramesh Chennithala, V S Sivakumar had been peeved at the leader for not ensuring him a state general secretary post during the recent revamp, said a senior Congress leader.