THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the voices of dissent refused to die down in the Congress following the selection of new party district chiefs with senior leader Oommen Chandy himself levelling serious criticism against state president K Sudhakaran, the latter called for truce on Monday. Sudhakaran urged all leaders to stop public reactions on the selection and took action against those who had refused to listen, even while going soft on Chandy and former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
“For the sake of the party, I request all to put an end to controversies,” Sudhakaran said. “The district presidents’ selection is a closed chapter. The Congress party needs the guidance of both Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala and they have to cooperate with us,” he said, adding other office-bearers of the district committees will be appointed soon.
Sudhakaran’s offer of truce assumed significance in the wake of continuing criticism from Chandy. While he extended an olive branch to dissident leaders, his trusted lieutenants like Rajmohan Unnithan continued their public attack on Chandy and Chennithala. Making it clear that the room for criticism allowed for senior leaders won’t be applicable to others, Sudhakaran expelled Congress leader PS Prasanth from the party after he slammed Palode Ravi, the new Thiruvananthapuram district president.
Chandy who criticised the state leadership for not holding the promised last round of discussion on Sunday complained on Monday about Sudhakaran’s display of the latter’s diary page claiming to be containing the panel of leaders submitted to him.
State leadership receives high command support
Rubbishing Sudhakaran’s claim that consultations were held twice, Chandy maintained that the talks were held with him only once in the presence of Opposition leader V D Satheesan.“Disclosing the details of the talks shows one’s style of functioning. It should be recalled that there were no complaints during our tenure,” said Chandy.
After observing the developments, the Congress high command on Monday extended support to Sudhakaran and Satheesan. Rahul Gandhi has conveyed to Sudhakaran and Satheesan that it is their responsibility to tackle the group leaders’ opposition.
Chennithala remained tightlipped on Monday. But both Chandy and Chennithala are worried that most of their loyalists have since cosied up to the state leadership. Already, the young MLAs belonging to Chandy’s faction— Shafi Parambil, A Vincent and T Siddique — had extended their support to Satheesan when he was elected the Congress Legislative Party leader. The overnight shift in stand by Chandy’s hitherto right-hand man Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Chennthala’s close aide Sooranad Rajasekharan who said the group leaders should approve the Congress high command’s decision came as yet another blow to the group leaders.
CHANDY & CHENNITHALA CAN GO AND FORM OWN PARTY: UNNITHAN
Kasaragod MP and senior leader Rajmohan Unnithan stoked controversy in the factionalism-hit party by sarcastically asking senior leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala to form their own party if they want only their nominees as presidents of all the 14 district Congress committees. The Kasaragod MP said Chandy and Chennithala controlled the Congress in the state for 18 years.