THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The high-power political affairs committee (PAC) of the KPCC has entrusted the party state leadership with ensuring that the warring Kerala Congress (M) factions complied with the agreement arrived at on the Kottayam district panchayat president’s post. Following PJ Joseph putting pressure on the Congress leadership, the KPCC decided to hold an emergency meeting of the PAC here on Thursday. The members told KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and former chief minister Oommen Chandy that the party should not go back on this agreement.
“Jose is firm that he doesn’t want to part with the post. The three leaders will inform him of the PAC’s decision that his faction cannot go back on the terms agreed to,” said a former KPCC president, who is also a PAC member.It is learnt that K Muraleedharan, MP, had apprised the PAC members of the ways in which Joseph had ditched the UDF on earlier occasions.
The PAC meeting also decided to inform the UDF and AICC leadership of their decision. As per the agreement worked out by the UDF in July last year, the Jose faction would hold the post for eight months and hand it over to the Joseph faction for the remaining six months starting from March 24.