A fresh feud has erupted in the Kerala unit of the faction-ridden Congress, this time following the announcement of new District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents on August 28.
The list of 14 DCC presidents (one for each district in Kerala) was released by the party high command, prompting the Congress’ old order in the state to take up cudgels against the new state leadership. The old order, led by former opposition leader and state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala and former chief minister Oommen Chandy, are resisting change tooth and nail. The veteran leaders claim that they were not duly consulted before finalising the list of 14 DCC presidents, and many of their loyal men have not found place in the list of 14.
The latest revolt can be seen as a resistance to the changes the Congress high command in Delhi is trying to bring in since the setback suffered by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the assembly elections in April.
Following the debacle in the assembly polls, Chennithala was replaced with the promising VD Satheesan as the opposition leader in the assembly. Chennithala, as opposition leader, proved to be all sound and fury with less substance. His efforts to counter the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government towards the end of its 2016-2021 tenure cut no ice with the electorate.
While the 77-year-old Chandy looks weary and ailing, a victory at the hustings could have catapulted Chennithala to the Chief Minister’s post. But the Congress ceded a historic second term to the LDF, more so because Chennithala could not match Vijayan in popularity.
In June, K Sudhakaran, a leader from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) citadel of Kannur in north Kerala, took over as state Congress President replacing Mullapally Ramachandran as the high command pinned its faith on Sudhakaran and Satheesan to end factionalism and streamline the Congress in Kerala.
Chennithala and Chandy, who lead the Congress (I) and Congress (A) factions respectively, are revolting against the emerging power centre comprising Sudhakaran, Satheesan and AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, as the duo is unwilling to give up the dominance they have enjoyed in the party for decades.
Sudhakaran, known for his aggressive style of functioning, is, however, unwilling to budge, and he has told his detractors to wait for six months to see the results. The fact that Sudhakaran is firm and unsparing is evident from the way two senior leaders KP Anil Kumar and K Sivadasan Nair were suspended for rebelling while a former state Congress Secretary PS Prasanth was expelled from the party for lashing out against Venugopal.
Congress allies in the United Democratic Front (UDF) are not amused by the new developments, and nor are Congress supporters. What is disappointing for them is that such internal squabbles weaken the party further and might adversely affect its prospects in the 2024 general elections and the 2026 assembly polls.
If there was one message that was clearly enunciated through the assembly election results, it was that the electorate wants fresh faces, young leaders to take over the party reins. The old leaders have served well, but it is time to move on for them.
Chennithala and Chandy should be more supportive of the party leadership’s decision. The Congress, on its side, could have discussed and resolved the issue, rather than bringing things to such a pass.
The results Sudhakaran promises are unlikely going by the history of the Congress in Kerala and elsewhere. Apart from the 'I' and 'A' factions, Kerala has spawned several Congress factions with a couple of them now part of the LDF.
The Congress now comes across a party that lacks discipline, with unhappy leaders, and appears confused. In such a scenario, its supporters can’t be blamed for being sceptical about the grand old party's future.
Gladwin Emmanuel is a Kerala-based senior journalist. Twitter:@gladwinemmanuel.
Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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