Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress is set to put in place a new mechanism to improve coordination with its government in Kerala after AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi flagged complaints that the party was not being adequately taken into confidence on key decisions.

Addressing the Congress Political Affairs Committee meeting, Dasmunshi said the government was moving ahead with various initiatives without keeping the party organisation properly informed. Her remarks, however, did not find full support at the meeting, with leaders reluctant to blame the government entirely for the coordination lapses.

The consensus was that coordination between the two sides needed to improve, with the KPCC president expected to take the initiative in ensuring better communication between the party and the government. The responsibility for initiating the appointment of a new KPCC president, however, rests with the high command.

Ramesh Chennithala, who participated in the meeting online, highlighted the public support for the government’s initiatives. Referring to KPCC president Sunny Joseph’s willingness to step down after becoming a minister, Chennithala said the decision was now up to the high command.

Most leaders favoured a full-time KPCC president, with a new incumbent likely to be in place by October.

The state government’s Onam measures also came in for praise at the meeting. Leaders appreciated the benefits announced by the government, along with the Home Department’s Toofaan initiative and the Transport Department’s Priyadarshini scheme.

The meeting, however, cautioned against any compromise on the PM SHRI scheme.

Chief Minister VD Satheesan sought to respond to Dasmunshi’s criticism without allowing the issue to turn confrontational. His remarks suggested that such criticism from an AICC general secretary had not been expected.

On PM SHRI, the CM maintained that the government would exercise caution but indicated that a unilateral withdrawal from the scheme would not be easy, as the previous government had already signed the agreement.

​Earlier, Dasmunshi expressed her disappointment that, despite having worked hard for the party’s electoral victory, she had not been invited to Kerala during Onam.