THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The meeting convened by the Congress high command to oversee the crucial assembly election preparation in Kerala witnessed unprecedented scenes after the AICC general secretary in charge of the state openly criticised the Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Satheesan and KPCC president Sunny Joseph engaged in a blame game triggering heated exchanges between the two, forcing Rahul Gandhi’s intervention.
The meeting held at Indira Bhavan in Delhi and chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. The meeting was convened to review organisational status and election readiness in the state.
After Kharge and Rahul individually met leaders, Sunny, Satheesan, K Muraleedharan, Ramesh Chennithala, M M Hassan, Kodikkunnil Suresh, Shashi Tharoor and the three working presidents, the high command convened a joint session of all leaders.
During the session, Deepa Dasmunsi, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, launched a sharp criticism against Satheesan without naming him. She reportedly told the high command that “a certain leader’s” (Satheesan) habit of skipping crucial meetings with excuses, had cost the organisation dearly. Her comments took state leaders by surprise. “A disappointed Rahul Gandhi said that such behaviour is unacceptable and that all leaders must ensure their participation in party meetings,” a leader present at the meeting told TNIE.
Though no one defended Satheesan, he later alleged that he had been excluded from organisational decisions since the new leadership took charge. He pointed to the recently released list of KPCC office-bearers and claimed that he was not consulted before finalising it.
“I was not consulted while the new KPCC general secretaries and vice-presidents were appointed,” Satheesan reportedly said. KPCC president Sunny Joseph rejected this allegation, telling the high command that he had contacted Satheesan “two or three times’ before finalising the list. “Adequate consultation was made with all sections, including senior leaders and former KPCC presidents alike,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi reminded Kerala leaders that the Congress traditionally does not announce the CM candidate before the assembly election. Priyanka Gandhi called for unity among leaders. In separate one-on- one meetings with Kharge and Rahul, several leaders complained about the overarching influence of the three working presidents- A P Anil Kumar, Shafi Parambil and P C Vishnunadh- in organisational matters.
It was reportedly alleged that the trio was taking advantage of the new KPCC president’s inexperience to assert excessive control over party affairs. Taking note of the disunity within the state leadership, the AICC decided to form a core committee to oversee the organisational matters ahead of the assembly election.
Unlike the existing jumbo committees, the new panel will be smaller and will include KPCC president, parliamentary party leader, working presidents and former KPCC presidents. Both Deepa Dasmunsi and Satheesan did not respond to queries.
