KOZHIKODE: Already under the scanner for his proximity to Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader M K Raghavan on Friday further antagonised the state party leadership, accusing it of practising “use-and-throw” culture of leaders, and entertaining only those who kowtow to the powers that be. State Congress chief K Sudhakaran lost no time in asking the Kozhikode MP for an explanation for his utterances.
The party has changed in such a way that it cannot accept criticism or disagreement, Raghavan said in his speech at the P Sankaran memorial meeting in Kozhikode. “We fear that the party only considers praise and flattery. Today, no one (inside the party) is ready to say openly that the ruler has no clothes.
No one will say anything because of the fear of losing positions in the party. What will be the fate of the party if it does not bring in meritorious persons and not the favourites of the leadership,” he said.
Hope was for fair organisational elections in the party, he said. “But it has become an exercise of picking and choosing the favourites of the leaders. Inner party democracy has been restored in other parties, including the IUML. Lessons should be learnt from the poll debacle. Party workers are not responsible for the election rout. The leadership should ponder over how to take party back to its past glory. Many deserving leaders are being kept outside the party,” he added.
Only Congress central leadership can take action against Raghavan
Senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran was also present at the function. Raghavan lamented about Sudheeran being sidelined in the party. Sudheeran maintained silence and did not react to Raghavan’s outbursts. It should be recalled that Sudheeran, in protest against the incumbent leadership, had stayed away from the recent Congress plenary session in Raipur.
Raghavan has stood solidly behind Tharoor in the election to the post of the AICC president and oversaw Tharoor’s tour in Malabar region two months ago. He has not been in the good books of the Congress leadership ever since he made public his close association with Tharoor.
Meanwhile, DCC president K Praveen Kumar told TNIE that he has given a detailed report to the party state chief. “The P Sankaran memorial programme was presided over by me. So, it was easy for me to file the report. I have submitted my report with video recordings of Raghavan’s speech,” said Praveen.
However, it is reliably learnt that Sudhakaran can only recommend to the national leadership to take action against Raghavan. Since Raghavan is a parliamentarian, only the central leadership can take action against him.