THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress high command has decided to maintain status quo for the time being in the Kerala unit, putting on hold the appointment of a new KPCC president after the state leadership failed to agree on a single name.
The decision follows intense lobbying by several senior aspirants, with key leaders unwilling to back any particular name, Congress sources said.
The AICC, which has been sounding out the state leadership, has realised that there is no broad-based agreement on any of the contenders, they said.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan and a majority of state leaders, however, argue that the party cannot afford to delay the organisational revamp when the UDF government has returned to power after a decade.
Leaders close to the CM point out that the government lacked adequate organisational support from the party when several controversies erupted during its first three months in office. There is also a growing view in the party that several of the government’s new initiatives have failed to get adequate political traction in the absence of a sustained party campaign.
However, with the new government implementing a slew of popular programmes, the AICC does not want a change at the party’s helm to disturb the present atmosphere in the organisation. With key figures in the state leadership now in the cabinet, it has asked the KPCC to step up organisational activities while discharging their administrative responsibilities.
‘High command does not want issue to trigger factionalism’
The issue figured prominently at the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and KPCC office-bearers’ meetings, where a majority of leaders criticised the AICC for delaying the appointment of a new president.
The national leadership, however, pointed to the existing arrangement, with KPCC president Sunny Joseph, working presidents A P Anil Kumar and P C Vishnunadh, and other leaders handling organisational responsibilities alongside their administrative duties. Shafi Parambil, too, is discharging organisational responsibilities, the high command pointed out.
At the PAC meeting, when questions were raised over the lack of coordination between the party and the government, the chief minister had said that with the KPCC president, two former presidents and two working presidents in the cabinet, decisions were being taken after consultation. The high command has now turned the same argument back on those demanding a new KPCC president.
“More importantly, the high command does not want the selection of a new KPCC president to reopen factional equations in the state unit,” said a KPCC office-bearer. “Though many senior leaders are in the fray, Satheesan and K C Venugopal are yet to publicly support a name. This doesn’t mean that reorganisation has been shelved indefinitely,” he added.
The AICC is of the view that imposing a name without consensus could trigger fresh factionalism when the party is trying to consolidate itself following the CPM’s organisational and political setback.
Main aspirants for KPCC prez post
Benny Behnanan
Kodikunnil Suresh
Ajay Tharayil
M K Raghavan
Anto Antony
Adoor Prakash
V S Sivakumar
T N Prathapan
