THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Coming under pressure from UDF partners for no show at Global Ayyappa Sangamam and related development issues, a section in the Congress has decided to bring party supremo Rahul Gandhi into the scene to recover the lost ground. They want Rahul either to visit the shrine or to address a convention explaining the Congress stance on the issue to the public. Two UDF partners have already approached Rahul in their personal capacity seeking his intervention, it is learnt.
“We have already spoken to Rahul more than once, explaining the political importance of the issue,” a top UDF leader told TNIE.
“Currently, there is a leadership vacuum in the state Congress. There is no leader who is capable of addressing issues related to NSS, an influential community organisation. Congress should also have to address sentiments of Hindus like it did during the Sabarimala agitation period,” he said.
The leaders are of the opinion that as an immediate visit of Rahul would generate political debate, it will be good to arrange it during Sabarimala season later.
“It is up to the Congress to decide. Though we did not cooperate with the Sangamam, the leaders’ body language sent a message that we are ‘boycotting’ it. We also failed to tell our workers that they are free to participate,” another UDF leader said.
The leaders pointed out that since Rahul has been visiting temples in north India, it will be considered quite natural for him to visit the Sabarimala shrine too. He need not talk about anything. The visit will have a power of a thousand words, a Congress leader remarked.
According to some UDF leaders, there is resentment among workers about leaders like Priyanka limiting their visit to certain minority community leaders only. They think Rahul’s initiatives will help correct any misunderstandings about this.
There is also criticism in Congress and UDF over the way certain senior leaders accuse the government of majoritarian appeasement for organising Ayyappa Sangamam.
“The Sangamam was organised by Travancore Devaswom Board. How can we term a move by the devaswom board as majority communal appeasement?” they asked.
There is strong discontent in Congress about lack of discussion even after suffering a setback to overcome the crisis.
Though senior leader P J Kurien met NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair at the NSS headquarters in Perunna, it is learned that the visit was a personal one.