Thodupuzha: With differences over posts of office-bearers reaching a flash point in the Kerala Congress camp led by PJ Joseph, an organisational poll is being envisaged to settle the issue.
A meeting held at the residence of P J Joseph here on Monday evening was acrimonious. Besides Joseph, senior leaders Mons Joseph, P C Thomas, T U Kuruvilla, Francis George, Joy Abraham, Johnny Nellore, Arakkal Balakrishna Pillai and Thomas Unniyadan took part in the meeting. Francis George, Thomas Unniyadan and Johnny Nellore were in the opposite camp.
The displeasure expressed by Francis George, Unniyadan and Nellore against giving top positions to Mons Joseph and Joy Abraham, triggered the bickerings in the party. Groups led by Francis George and Mons Joseph took on each other, raising the heat.
The main charge of disgruntled section was that leaders like Francis George had been sidelined and positions of executive chairman, chief coordinator and general secretaries were created specially for certain leaders.
In this backdrop, efforts were initiated under the leadership of P J Joseph to avoid a split in the party. Many felt that holding organisational elections would be ideal at this stage to resolve the discontent among the leaders.
P J Joseph hinted at complete organisational revamp right from ward committee up to the state committee.
Six prominent leaders had joined Kerala Congress (J) ahead of the assembly polls. Moreover, the slinter groups led by PJ Joseph and PC Thomas had decided to merge and term the combined entity 'Kerala Congress'. The subsequent allocation of offices and posts upset a few leaders. There were complaints that after the merger, the followers of a few leaders who had joined hands with PJ Joseph could not get the places they deserved in the party's organisational set-up.
Francis George had declined to take up the deputy chairman's post in protest. After the state assembly polls he even reacted on the issue publicly.
However, P J Joseph denied any crisis in the party and said the difference of opinion among leaders would be resolved amicably. Reacting to the developments, Francis George said the existing executive committee was only a temporary panel and he would take up any position that is assigned to him by the party.
Leaders unhappy despite jumbo list
The Kerala Congress (J) led by P J Joseph now has the biggest list of office-bearers ever in the history of Kerala Congress.
It is the only Kerala Congress having chairman, working chairman and executive chairman. P J Joseph is the chairman, P C Thomas the working chairman and Mons Joseph, the executive chairman.
Besides, there are three deputy chairmen, 14 vice chairmen, 55 state general secretaries, a 71-member high-power committee and a 1,000-member state committee.
Moreover, the party also has office bearers of the front organisations. The critics of the party say that the actual number of office-bearers is not known.
P J Joseph admitted that the number of office-bearers was very high in the party.
Efforts are on to reduce the strength of state committee to 400. The jumbo committee would be allowed only this time.
From next year the party would distribute membership and elect office-bearers through organisational elections.
