Thiruvananthapuram: Power restrictions that stretched past midnight came in for sharp criticism at a meeting of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office-bearers here on Thursday, with leaders warning that such prolonged restrictions could turn the people against the government.

At the meeting, District Congress Committee presidents and leaders demanded that there should be no power cuts after 10 pm under any circumstances. MLAs N Sakthan and M Vincent pointed out that consumers were not being given advance notice of the restrictions, while Sharatchandra Prasad sought to limit the cuts to the 6 pm to 10 pm period.

Responding to the criticism, Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph said the government was doing everything possible to resolve the crisis. He attributed the situation to multiple factors, including inadequate rainfall.

Leaders also criticised ministers for not keeping local party leaders informed about their official programmes. Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar was cited as an exception, as he routinely informed the local leadership in advance. Chief Minister V D Satheesan said other ministers should follow Anilkumar’s example and inform KPCC and DCC office-bearers in the districts about their official visits.

On the proposed revamp of the KPCC, Sunny Joseph said he was ready to step down as soon as a new KPCC president was appointed. He also called for the party reorganisation to be completed at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Satheesan informed the meeting that discussions with coalition partners on the distribution of posts were in the final stage.

The recent scuffle involving the Chirayinkeezhu local Congress leadership and MLA Ramya Haridas also figured in the discussions. Some leaders said the incident had brought disrepute to the party and called for a code of conduct for MLAs.

While praising the government’s performance so far, M Vincent said complaints against party leaders should be raised within the party and that leaking letters to the media was not the right practice. The KPCC president also endorsed his view.

Panel finds scuffle brought disrepute to party
The M M Hassan committee, which investigated the scuffle between the Chirayinkeezhu local Congress leadership and Ramya Haridas, submitted its report to the KPCC president. The committee found that the incident had brought disrepute to the party.

PM SHRI: Satheesan says govt cannot back out
The government’s decision to proceed with the PM SHRI scheme also drew strong criticism. MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan said the government could pay a heavy political price if the scheme was implemented.

According to him, the party’s strong secular stand had helped the Congress win the support of minorities in the previous election, while its stand against the BJP had also received considerable public support. Implementing PM SHRI could, however, turn people against the government, he warned.

Satheesan, however, said the agreement had been signed by the previous government and that the State could not withdraw from the scheme. He stressed the need for the State to secure the funds due to it and reiterated that the state government would decide which schools to select and determine the syllabus.

Satheesan said it would be wrong to suggest that the UDF had won the election because of PM SHRI. He also pointed out that Congress chief ministers Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, Siddaramaiah in Karnataka and A Revanth Reddy in Telangana had already implemented the scheme. Sunny Joseph said the subcommittee would meet again to take a decision on PM SHRI.

Kuzhalnadan also demanded swift and strong action on the Enforcement Directorate’s letter concerning former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others. Failure to act, he warned, could fuel allegations that the UDF government was colluding with the CPM.