Kochi: The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is reportedly keen to straightaway expel renegade senior party leader K V Thomas rather than serving him a perfunctory suspension order if he attends a seminar at the ongoing CPM national conclave in Kannur on Saturday.
Thomas arrived in Kannur on Friday and is certain to attend a seminar on the topic 'Centre-State Relations on Saturday though his party forbade him days ago from doing so. KPCC President K Sudhakaran had warned a couple of days ago Thomas would have to pay for his act of indiscipline.
The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) is likely to concur with the KPCC's opinion before taking a call on the nature of punishment for defying the party order. Or it may endorse the apex state body, KPCC, to do as it wishes as it was the latter that barred Thomas from attending the CPM function.
As Thomas is a member of the Congress Working Committee the AICC rather than the state body of the party can penalise the rebellious member.
Thomas no longer enjoys the confidence of even a single leader in the party's top body either in Thiruvananthapuram or New Delhi. Both state-level leaders and the AICC honchos are enraged as Thomas is defying even the advice of party president Sonia Gandhi with his adamance. In contrast, popular leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor decided to toe the party directive even though he too was invited to the CPM seminar.
The opinion of AICC disciplinary committee chairman, AK Antony, is crucial even if the KPCC may endorse an outright expulsion. Ironically, Antony and Thomas were close associates earlier.
Thomas is a former legislator, union minister, state minister and Member of Parliament. Of late he has been disillusioned over his apparent sidelining by the party leadership though he made repeated moves to land a leadership role in the KPCC.
