Congress notice to two MPs triggers infighting in party’s Kerala unit

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) show cause notice to two Congress MPs, MK Raghavan and K Muraleedharan, on Monday, for alleged indiscipline triggered infighting in the state unit, party members in the know of the matter said

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) show cause notice to two Congress MPs, MK Raghavan and K Muraleedharan, on Monday, for alleged indiscipline triggered infighting in the state unit, party members in the know of the matter said.

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They said seven MPs from the state have approached All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal to register their protest against the notices. Both MPs said “since they were AICC members, PCC president K Sudhakaran cannot serve such a notice to them”. Muraleedharan came out in the open saying he will not reply to the letter. Venugopal, however, downplayed it saying “in a democratic party such differences are natural and they will be ironed out in the state”.

In the letter, Raghavan, three-time MP from Kozhikode, was issued a stern warning against “making any public statements that sully the party’s image” and Muraleedharan was asked to maintain the party discipline and decorum.

“If they want to humiliate me like this they are welcome. I will not reply to the notice. I have already made it clear that I have no plan to contest the upcoming elections. If this will help the party, I am happy,” he said.

He said he was served a letter for supporting M K Raghavan MP who made a “use and throw” remarks against the state leadership last week. In a function in Kozhikode (north Kerala) Raghavan had said “it was not proper for the party to adopt a use and throw approach.” Later, he said he was mentioning about the alleged ill-treatment meted out to former chief minister Oommen Chandy and other senior leaders. Raghavan was not available for comments.

Discontent was brewing in the party over the way 60 PCC members were selected by the PCC president and opposition leader V D Satheesan just before the Congress plenary session in Raipur. But both maintained that members were selected not based on faction or group but sheer qualification and organisational prowess. Many senior leaders, including Kodikunnil Suresh (MP) has expressed serious reservations over the revamp of the PCC.

After the assembly election debacle in 202, the party had made a major change ignoring two powerful groups in the state unit, one led by Oommen Chandy and other by senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, and brought in a new PCC head and opposition leader. Though both swear they have no factions but opponents say they reward only people close to them. Party insiders said letters to two senior MPs have opened a fresh battle-line in the faction-ridden state unit. Out of 20 LS seats in the state, Congress is holding 15 seats including Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad, two Muslim League and one Revolutionary Socialist Party’s N K Premachandran.