Congress hit by dissent in Kerala before polls

After the resignation of senior leader PC Chacko recently, former district president AV Gopinath has said that change is required in the party.

Thiruvananthapuram: Disputes regarding candidature before elections is nothing new for Congress. Right from Panchayat elections to the Parliament elections, power struggles have always been there. Despite all the dissents, as per the tradition, the Congress would not usually let it affect the election works or the victory.

Senior Congress leader PC Chacko, Congress MP for four times and former State Minister, announced his resignation from the party in Delhi recently. Chacko, who was also the Congress Working Committee member had no major roles in State politics. Chacko claimed groupism in the party before quitting.

Kerala leaders have limited their reactions to Chacko’s resignation to a single word, ‘unfortunate’. Congress leadership in Kerala is not really bothered by Chacko’s resignation. But, the Congress workers in Peringottukurissi Panchayath in Palakkad district are eagerly awaiting the leadership’s stand on former DCC president A V Gopinath’s dissent.

A V Gopinath had raised his protest days ago. Following this, G Sudhakaran MP visited Gopinath at his house in Peringottukurissi and discussed the issue. However, when names and talks on probable candidates surfaced, Gopinath reaffirmed his stand. Stating that change is needed in Congress, Gopinath said he would wait until Friday night for a decision. Gopinath is to decide on his further course accordingly.

Gopinath said reorganisation is necessary for the Congress party in Kerala. Nothing less than that would be acceptable. The party cannot move forward betraying its workers. We have been trampled for 20 years in the name of group battles. The privileged, pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent people head the party. The grass-root workers who gave life to Congress are in crisis, alleged Gopinath, speaking to the media after the meeting at Peringottukurissi.

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V M Sudheeran restrained his reaction to PC Chacko’s resignation and said it deeply saddened him. P J Kurian, former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, had also come in support of Chacko on Thursday and pointed out the flaws in candidate selection within the Congress.