Thiruvananthapuram: Several Congress leaders in Kerala are keen on overhauling its state leadership in the wake of the disappointing show in the recent civic polls. They made their intentions clear to a delegation of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) which is currently touring the state to get feedback from the state unit of the party.
The AICC delegation was reportedly flooded with complaints. Several functionaries of the party told the AICC team that if the high command has any intention of making changes in the state leadership then it needs to be done at the earliest.
While the majority of the leaders who met the AICC delegation demanded urgent overhaul of the District Congress Committees (DCCs), some called for a change in the leadership of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
However, ahead of the discussions AICC in-charge and party general secretary Tariq Anwar made it clear that for now the focus was on holding candid interaction about the state of affairs in the party.
K C Joseph, MLA, who was the first one to meet the AICC delegation said that if DCCs were to be reconstituted then the process should be completed in the coming days.
V D Satheeshan, another MLA, alleged that the KPCC leadership had completely failed in poll preparations. There is a communication gap between Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala and Mullapally Ramachandran, the three leaders who are currently leading the Congress in Kerala, he said.
MPs and regular faces should be fielded as candidates in the forthcoming assembly polls, Satheeshan added.
M M Hassan, the convenor of the United Democratic Front (UDF), said it was not right to make KPCC president a scapegoat for the poll debacle. P C Chacko hit out at the groupism in the state unit of the party. T N Prathapan called for change in DCC leadership which had lost credibility and charisma. Adoor Prakash alleged that there was no planning, coordination in the election work. Rajmohan Unnithan, Kodikunnil Suresh, P C Vishnunath , M Liju listed out the organizational lapses during the poll.
Apart from Tariq Anwar, AICC secretaries V P Mohan and Ivan D'cruz met KPCC vice presidents, general secretaries, DCC presidents separately. P V Vishwananthan who was deputed for Kerala by AICC did not attend.
The delegation will meet the leaders of the UDF constituents on Monday before returning to Delhi.
Action plan for assembly polls
The state leadership has decided prepare a detailed action plan for assembly polls and submit it to the AICC delegation.
The state leadership will also seek election funds from the AICC. Top trio Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chenntihiala and Mullapally Ramachandran will meet online for this purpose on Monday.
Chennithala who is down with Covid could not take part in discussions held with the AICC delegation. Oommen Chandy met the delegation late in the night. Though KPCC president Muallapally Ramachandran was present in Indira Bhavan on Sunday, he would express his views before the AICC leaders only on Monday.
The report prepared by KPCC on the basis of the interaction and feedback received from prominent leaders of each district, will be submitted to the AICC delegation by Mullapally Ramachandran and K P Anil Kumar on Monday.
Leadership change not on agenda: Chandy
Former chief minister Oommen Chandy said that the issue of leadership change in the Kerala unit of the Congress was not on the agenda.
Chandy said he does not subscribe to the opinion that DCC leadership should be reshuffled. The present circumstances do not warrant such changes.
The high command has to take a call whether MPs should resign and contest in the assembly elections, he added.
