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Amid reports of fissures, Chandy, Chennithala skip UDF meeting
UDF convenor and Congress leader M M Hassan said he was not informed of their decision to skip the meeting, and both refused to comment on their absence.
Senior Kerala Congress leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala skipped the United Democratic Front (UDF) meeting in the state capital on Monday, deepening fissures between the new leadership and the old guard in the state.
UDF convenor and Congress leader M M Hassan said he was not informed of their decision to skip the meeting, and both refused to comment on their absence.
“They promised me to attend the meet. I don’t know what happened,” he said after the meet. Currently, the UDF comprises seven parties, with the Congress and Muslim League as major partners.
Chandy’s and Chennithala’s displeasure over the new leadership, led by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran and opposition leader VD Satheesan, is not unknown as the old guards have openly questioned their functioning. “Both are upset with the leadership for ignoring their repeated complaints. Instead of taking all along they are ignoring seniors, and it won’t bode well for the party,” a senior leader said on condition of anonymity.
Last week, former Kerala chief minister Chandy called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, urging her to call off the ongoing revamp in the state unit given the upcoming organisational elections. Leaders close to him said he expressed reservations over recent disciplinary actions against some leaders and criticised the style of functioning of the new leadership in the state.
Two weeks ago, a former state secretary M A Latheef, a staunch loyalist of Chandy, was suspended for “anti-party activities.” Some of the expelled leaders, like A P Anil Kumar and P S Prashant, later joined the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) in August.
Chandy criticised the suspension of senior leaders and asked the new leadership to exercise restraint and take everyone along. However, Sudhakaran maintained that discipline was supreme in the party.
During the assembly elections in April, the party was expecting to return to power, given the pattern of power alternating between the state’s two major formations, CPI (M) and Congress, but faced a humiliating defeat. The fact that party leader, Rahul Gandhi, is a member of Parliament from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency added to the ignominy. It led to a major internal shift in the power structure and high command was forced to intervene in the faction-ridden unit.
“If the High Command wants to strengthen the party in Kerala it will have to ensure that senior leaders are heard properly. Sulking leaders are not good to the party,” said political commentator Sunnykutty Abraham.
