THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The AICC leadership has summoned the top three of the KPCC leadership to New Delhi on Monday for talks with party president Sonia Gandhi on the "corrective measures" to be taken following the local body poll setback. At the same time, the two-day meeting is going to be crucial for the KPCC leadership as a decision on who will lead the UDF in the imminent assembly elections including the Kerala Yatra will be taken there.
The AICC leadership was keen on meeting with KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and CWC member Oommen Chandy this week, but it was postponed after the leaders cited the budget session of the assembly. It is learnt that Sonia Gandhi is upset with the three AICC secretaries -- P Viswanathan, Ivan D'Souza and P V Mohan -- deputed to the state for not sending the list of new probable DCC presidents. They have now been asked to send the list before Monday.
She has warned the two three KPCC leaders categorically that they either listen to her or do not expect any help from her in future. The AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Tariq Anwar, who had held several rounds of talks with the Congress leaders and later with the UDF allies, had promised to revamp the DCCs before January 15. When this was delayed, leaders of the allies raised the issue at the UDF meeting held on Monday.
While Mullappally and 'A' group remained firm that DCC presidents in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kasaragod should be changed,'I' group was keen on bringing in only "cosmetic changes". The DCC presidents who are holding dual posts in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Wayanad will also be replaced. A top KPCC leader told TNIE that the AICC leadership will take a call on
the changes to be brought in at the DCC level and stress on a "collective leadership" in the assembly elections.
"Initially, the Kerala Yatra was envisaged in such a way that all top three leading it. But when the official announcement was made, the focus was on Chennithala leading it and Mullappally and Oommen Chandy joining it along with other allies on days when it is convenient for them. The AICC leadership, however, is convinced that the need of the hour is a collective leadership," said a top KPCC leader.
AICC organising general secretary K C Venugopal is expected to be in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday to attend the Raj Bhavan march against the farm laws. Meanwhile, Chennithala and Oommen Chandy, who have been meeting Christian bishops, were planning to meet NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair earlier this week to seek his support for the UDF. An appointment was granted, the visit was
allegedly cancelled by Chennithala citing inconvenience at the last moment.