THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even before the decision of the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in the aftermath of the party’s poll debacle came out, the state leadership on Sunday rallied behind Sonia Gandhi and national general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal.
However, the ordinary Congress workers were in no mood to toe the leadership’s line with over 20,000 party workers coming down heavily on Venugopal and the high command, holding them responsible for the severe poll drubbing. They chose state party president K Sudhakaran’s Facebook page to give vent to their anger.
Apart from Venugopal, there are two more Malayali leaders in the CWC - A K Antony and Oommen Chandy. Antony was indisposed due to a second attack of Covid -19 that forced him to stay away from the CWC meet for the first time since 1984.
Majority of the CWC leaders, including Oommen Chandy, expressed their strong support towards the incumbent leadership. Prior to the crucial meeting, Oommen Chandy came out in favour of Rahul Gandhi’s trusted lieutenant Venugopal, saying that he should not be blamed for the dismal failure of the party.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, who maintains close ties with Venugopal, told TNIE that there are only a handful of leaders in the G -23. “There have been deliberate attempts by certain vested interests at the state and national levels to tarnish the image of Venugopal. Except Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu and Kashmir, the rest of the G -23 leaders don’t have much clout.”
Exuding confidence that all hope is not yet lost, state Congress president K Sudhakaran told TNIE, “Congress party cannot be written off just like that. The focus should be on initiating corrective measures including taking the G -23 leaders into confidence. A leader (Venugopal) alone cannot push the party into a disaster.” Senior Congress MP K Muraleedharan, who has cozied up to senior Ramesh Chennithala’s camp, said Rahul Gandhi should take up the mantle of the party.
“Rahul Gandhi should travel the length and breadth of the country as he is still a crowd puller. He also should take the G -23 leaders on board and steer the party to its old glory.” he told TNIE. However, there were dissdent voices too. Former state Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran unleashed his tirade against Venugopal saying sycophancy is not going to help the grand old party.
Venugopal maintained that he is not above criticism and corrective measures will be taken up by the party at the Chintan Shibir in a month’s time. “I have been in this party for the last 42 years. I am not after positions as that will come and go. Sonia Gandhi can take any step. I will be a Congress worker till my end,” he said after the CWC meeting.