THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after Congress state president K Sudhakaran submitted the draft list of district Congress committee presidents, senior leaders like VM Sudheeran have accused the leadership of not taking them into confidence.
However, the central Congress leadership is seeing this as mere pressure tactics from the groups. More than ever, group managers feel the new dispensation is trying to make them irrelevant.
Like former Congress state president Mullappally Ramachandran who vented his anger against Sudhakaran on the phone on Saturday, Sudheeran took to Facebook to express his ire against the present state president.
He said he was not consulted before the list of DCC leaders was prepared and that his views were not considered. Taking a dig at the leadership, Sudheeran maintained that he came to know that Sudhakaran had submitted the list to the Congress high command through media reports.
Sensing the backlash from other leaders, Sudhakaran initiated damage-control measures calling on Sudheeran at the latter’s home here on Sunday. At the same time, MP K Muraleedharan adopted a softer stand as he was consulted three times by Sudhakaran.
It should be recalled that the decision to downsize the DCC and state committee office-bearers to 51 members was discussed in the party’s political affairs committee meeting. This was welcomed by all senior leaders without much brouhaha.
But none of the PAC leaders had got to see the list submitted by Sudhakaran and Opposition leader VD Satheesan. This has upset the group managers as they feel they are being pushed to oblivion.
"Now a new axis has formed with national general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Satheesan and three working presidents MP Kodikunnil Suresh, MLAs PT Thomas and T Siddique. The draft list was hurriedly handed over to Rahul Gandhi which has not gone down well with Satheesan. This resulted in a war of words between the two leaders in New Delhi," a senior group manager told The New Indian Express.
The group managers have claimed that Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala and Mullappally have shot off emails to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi expressing their strong displeasure, citing that the party has plunged to its lowest standing.
But Sudhakaran strongly denied the allegations raised by the group managers. He told The New Indian Express that he had got the wholehearted support from the two main group leaders. He said he had held three rounds of talks with them.
"The response I got from Oommen Chandy and Chennithala has been positive. The central leadership will release the list of DCC presidents in less than a week. Venugopal had never made any unnecessary intervention in preparing the draft list," said Sudhakaran.
It is reliably learnt that in two to three districts, the state leadership has given a panel of names to Rahul Gandhi. Sudhakaran had informed the group leaders that he would come back to them for further talks, if required.
After having a meeting with Satheesan and working presidents, Sudhakaran realised that further talks are unwarranted which has upset the group managers who have taken cudgels against him.
No further talks
After having a meeting with Satheesan and working presidents, Sudhakaran realised that further talks are unwarranted which has upset the group managers who have taken cudgels against him.