Kochi: The Congress high command's restructuring plan for its Kerala unit has hit the usual roadblock of factionalism, delaying the appointment of new district chiefs and dragging its organisational revamp initiated in the aftermath of the assembly poll drubbing.
The process to select new DCC presidents was initiated two months ago after the AICC appointed K Sudhakaran as the KPCC president and V D Satheesan as the leader of the opposition.
However, the activity of selecting the district chiefs had turned out to be a big challenge for the new leaders.
The state leadership has handed over its shortlist to Rahul Gandhi but the announcement is being delayed following the interruption tactics of the old power centres – the A group headed by Oommen Chandy and the I group led by Ramesh Chennithala.
The senior leaders have registered their protest to the central leadership over how the new state leadership prepared the list. They found supporters in former PCC chiefs Mullappally Ramachandran and V M Sudheeran.
The A and I factions, the traditional rivals within the Congress' Kerala unit, have now found a common enemy in the new state leadership. However, both Sudhakaran and Satheesan have rubbished the charges that the list was prepared without enough consultation with the senior leaders.
The leaders of the two factions have alleged that while Sudhakaran and Satheesan have claimed to be working to end groupism in the party, they have ended up forming a new faction.
The once unthinkable Chandy-Chennithala axis is now sensing the emergence of a new group led by Satheesan and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal.
A key member of the Chennithala gang has said that they have adopted a wait-and-watch approach. The remark, a common feeling of the Chandy and Chennithala camps, makes it clear that they are in no mood to give up.
“For years, the organisation restructuring was done in consultation with the two senior leaders. Now, there's a feeling among their supporters that they were ignored by the new leadership," said the senior I-group leader.
"It is claimed that the new DCC chiefs will be selected only based on merit. However, if you look at the shortlist, it is evident that the personal favourites of Venugopal, Satheesan and Sudhakaran have been picked,” he said, adding that the majority that features in the list would not win if they contested an organisational election.
In what sounded like a division tactic, the leader said even Sudhakaran has been sidelined by the Venugopal-Satheesan combo. He said Sudhakaran was being treated by just one leader besides the three KPCC working presidents – PT Thomas, Kodikkunnil Suresh and T Siddique.
Reacting sharply to the grievances made by the traditional factions, a source close to Satheesan said those who were opposing the revamp plans were working only for their gains.
“Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala were criticised heavily by party workers wherever they went to events related to Independence Day," the young leader close to Satheesan told Onmanorama. "There's a common feeling among the party cadre that the two leaders' stances won't do any good for the party."
Going by the reactions on social media, his argument seems valid. Several party workers have been criticising Chandy and Chennithala for standing in the way of organisational restructuring. Sudheeran, though not a part of any faction, had to face the anger of party workers when he wrote on Facebook that he was not consulted before preparing the shortlist.
Sudhakaran's challenge
After two assembly sessions, Satheesan has shown good promise as the opposition leader. With effective floor management techniques, concentrating on people's issues, and measured protests, the UDF could come way ahead in perception management compared to the previous term.
The revamp fiasco has become a test of Sudhakaran's leadership and diplomatic skills. Though he was appointed with much fanfare, he has been mostly silent throughout the past two months.
Soon after his appointment, he claimed that the KPCC will be restructured into a 51-member committee instead of the existing jumbo panel. It looks like a tough task if the current fiasco is anything to go by.
New DCC chiefs soon: AICC
Tariq Anwar, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, on Thursday said that the new DCC presidents in all districts will be announced soon. He said the discussions were in the final stage.
Anwar rejected rumours that party president Sonia Gandhi has sought a report on the concerns raised by Chandy and Chennithala.
The new DCC presidents' list is unlikely to have women's representation. Though Rahul Gandhi wanted more women representation among the district chiefs, the party seems to be not sticking firm on such a stance provided the small size of the state. On the other hand, the state unit will be instructed to have more women in the KPCC leadership, sources said.
