Adoor Prakash doubles down on dissent, says he will take UDF concerns to AICC

Senior Congress leader and UDF convenor Adoor Prakash on Friday doubled down on his dissatisfaction with Chief Minister V D Satheesan over the lack of consultation within the ruling front, saying he would apprise the party leadership of the issues in the next two or three days.

Speaking to the media in Pathanamthitta, Prakash said his objection was not to the decisions themselves but to the lack of consultation with him as UDF convenor. He said he would convey his concerns to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) within two or three days.

The immediate issue that triggered his response was the Cabinet's September 30 decision to appoint IUML leader and former minister M K Muneer as chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission and Forward Bloc general secretary G Devarajan as Kerala's special representative in Delhi, both with Cabinet rank.

Prakash maintained that he had no objection to either appointment and acknowledged the role played by UDF leaders and workers in bringing the alliance to power after 10 years.

“Both of them are deserving people. I have no objection to their appointments. But these decisions should have been discussed with me as the UDF convenor,” Prakash said.

He also reiterated his displeasure over the UDF not holding regular meetings. According to Prakash, the front has met only once at Cliff House since the new government came to power.
“Since this government came to power, the UDF meeting was convened only once at Cliff House,” he said.

Prakash said he would take up the matter with the AICC because it was the central leadership that appointed him UDF convenor. “I was appointed by the AICC and I am answerable to them,” he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that his remarks were a result of factionalism within the Congress. Asked whether AICC general secretary K C Venugopal had contacted him following his press conference on Thursday, Prakash said he had not called Venugopal.

Prakash was also asked whether the IUML had been given greater importance while senior Kerala Congress leader P J Joseph was not given a Cabinet berth. He said such matters should be discussed and decided in the UDF.

At the same time, Prakash distanced himself from suggestions that he was opposed to decisions taken by Chief Minister V D Satheesan. “We don't have any issue with the decisions of the Chief Minister,” he said.

Asked whether he was acting as a corrective force within the Congress and the UDF, Prakash left it to the media to decide. He, however, said the government would face criticism during its tenure.

His latest remarks come a day after he publicly criticised the lack of consultation within the UDF, saying he had often learned about important government decisions through the media.