Thiruvananthapuram: The issues within the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) will be settled through bilateral talks with the constituents, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said on Tuesday.
The Congress leader, who is also the chairman of the UDF, was reacting to journalists' question about the anguish expressed by the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) about the internal fight within the Congress.
Satheesan said there was no need to link the apprehensions of the ally with the latest developments in the Congress. "This (UDF) has a democratic system. We will settle the issues through bilateral talks. The discussions with the RSP have been pending because of various reasons. RSP's MP Premachandran had to attend the Parliament session and senior leader Shibu Baby John was undergoing medical treatment," Satheesan said.
He, however, refused to comment on the intra-party issues following the announcement of the new District Congress Committee presidents in the state. "I won't comment about it. The KPCC president (K Sudhakaran) will speak about organisational matters. He has already explained everything. The decisions are being taken as part of a plan and we will implement them. Our mission is to revive the Congress in the state which had to suffer defeats in two consecutive assembly polls," he said.
Asked about the CPM's comment that, Congress lacks democracy, Satheesan responded saying his party didn't need any advice or guidelines from the CPM.
RSP's gripe
Following the disputes in the Congress over the selection of DCC chiefs, the RSP had demanded an explanation on what was happening in the opposition combine.
RSP state Secretary A A Azeez said it has been over 40 days since they had asked for a discussion on various issues but nothing had happened.
"We have given a letter about this. When things are not going in the way it should go, then we are well within our right to point it out and that's what we have done. We are not going to leave the UDF," Azeez said.
The RSP was an erstwhile ally of the Left and over the years, it suffered a few splits and at present, its only elected representative is its lone Lok Sabha member N K Premachandran.
In the 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls, the RSP failed to win a single seat.
Since Saturday after the 14 district Congress Presidents' list came out it has been a free-for-all between the topmost leaders of Congress who have all taken potshots against one another and those include state party unit chief K Sudhakaran, and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who are now united, and pitted against them is the duo of veteran leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala.
Congress veteran M M Hassan, who is also the UDF Convenor, got in touch with the warring Congress leaders and have informed the RSP leaders that they are ready to talk, and it can be done before the meeting of the full UDF scheduled for next week.
The UDF, which met its Waterloo in the April 6 Assembly polls despite predictions of its victory, has been unable to regroup after its mauling at the hands of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front. With the latest tumult in the Congress, things do not augur well for it.
