Congress disowns Hibi Eden’s move, asks him to withdraw bill
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Hibi Eden’s proposal to make Kochi the state capital snowballing into a major controversy, the Congress leadership on Sunday asked the Ernakulam MP to withdraw the private bill he moved in the Lok Sabha raising the demand.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who share an excellent rapport with Hibi, were quick to disown his proposal. Satheesan told reporters in Kochi on Sunday that he had called up Hibi and expressed his strong displeasure.
“Hibi’s demand is not the party’s stand. I have asked him to withdraw his private member’s bill. He has promised not to proceed with it. The issue is now a closed chapter. Kochi does not have the facility to become the capital,” he said.
While Hibi’s claim is that a private bill need not be discussed in the party, K C Venugopal, Congress national general secretary (organisation), has come out with a directive to all party MPs, saying they need to discuss private member’s bill and resolutions with the leadership before proposing them in Parliament.
‘Hibi should have discussed bill with party leadership’
Chennithala maintained that the issue does not require to be discussed seriously. He said the proposal should be seen as Hibi’s personal choice. The Congress leadership is irked by Hibi’s action as it has triggered an unwanted controversy, with the CPM and BJP taking it up.
A senior Congress MP from central Kerala told TNIE that he had raised several issues as a private member’s bills without discussing them in the party. “But policy matters like shifting the capital do not belong to the prerogative of an MP. Such matters have to be taken up by the party. It was a blunder on the part of Hibi to come up with an immature proposal,” the MP said. Meanwhile, Hibi, who is currently in the UK, told TNIE that he will be back in the state within five days and will hold a press conference.
On Sunday, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said the MP’s proposal should be seen as a personal choice. He, however, said the Centre’s decision to seek the state government’s view was a clever move. “Hibi had not shown political intelligence.
It should be seen as his personal choice,” said Tharoor. Vadakara MP K Muraleedharan sought to know how the state would look if all MPs decide to take the capital to their respective constituencies. “Hibi should have first discussed the matter with the party leadership,” he said.