KOTTAYAM: Senior Congress leader and permanent invitee to the AICC, Ramesh Chennithala, whose political career looked to be heading south, has received an unexpected boost from the Nair Service Society (NSS).
After an 11-year standoff, the NSS has extended an olive branch to Chennithala by inviting him to deliver the keynote address at the Mannam Jayanthi celebration, one of the most important events on the community organisation’s calendar, on January 2 at its headquarters in Perunna. The invitation comes as a much-needed relief for Chennithala, who had been more or less sidelined following the Congress election debacle in Maharashtra, where he was the party’s in-charge.
NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said Chennithala was invited as he is a people’s representative and prominent politician. However, the underlying message is clear -- NSS is throwing its weight behind the beleaguered leader, who has been one of the victims of the generational shift within the Congress, following the UDF’s assembly election defeat in 2021. Speaking to reporters, Chennithala expressed gratitude for the invitation. “My policy is to foster cooperation with everyone, not to promote conflict. I am delighted to be invited to the Mannam Jayanthi celebration. I will definitely attend the event,” he said.
Nair and Chennithala fell out amid disagreements over the latter’s induction into the Oommen Chandy-led cabinet. Nair had backed Chennithala, who was then KPCC president, for a key position in the UDF ministry in January 2013.
Nair held that the UDF government, which had come to power with a wafer-thin majority of a single seat, would not last long if Chennithala was not given a key post.
He also asserted that there had been an understanding on this matter during discussions between former Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and NSS leaders on September 6, 2010.
Despite deliberations in the Congress on Nair’s demand, Chennithala backed out, which provoked the NSS chief and strained their relationship. Although Chennithala was made home minister a year later, Nair refused to budge from his stance. “Ramesh realised his mistake and refrained from discussing it further. This allowed the NSS to change its stance,” Nair said.