Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran leaders K Muraleedharan and Shashi Tharoor found themselves in the line of fire at Tuesday’s Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) executive meeting as the participants charged them with crossing the ‘Laxman Rekha” and demanded that the party put shackles on them.
Some even compared the two with the marauding wild elephant ‘Arikomban’ while stressing that the dissonance within the party may affect its winning chances in the Lok Sabha elections next year.
“The ‘arimkombans’ in the party should be put in the proper place,” Anwar Sadath MLA lashed out, taking a potshot at Muraleedharan after the MP publicly aired his grievance over the KPCC “sidelining” him at the recent centenary celebrations of the Vaikom Satyagraha.
P J Kurien demanded disciplinary action against Tharoor for his statement that regional party leaders should be given the leadership posts of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
The criticism of the two leaders dominated the spirit of discussions throughout the meeting. Congress leaders V P Sajeendran and M Liju, who led the Organising Committee, flayed Muraleedharan for publicly airing his displeasure over not giving an opportunity to speak at the concluding session of Vaikom Satyagraha centenary celebrations as other leaders joined them.
“Certain leaders are like the character played by Nedumudi Venu in a film who, after having a sumptuous feast, say ‘didn’t receive anything here’. There are a lot many people outside who have got nothing,” Sajeendran charged.
Sajeendran and Liju said they had invited Muraleedharan to take part in the processions in connection with the satyagraha event celebration. However, the Congress MP didn’t attend, citing a busy schedule.
It was after this that he created the unnecessary controversy, they pointed out.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has to rush back to Delhi during the event, and that’s why certain leaders, including Muraleedharan, couldn’t address the gathering. “It’s unfortunate to learn the shameless allegations through television upon arriving home after the grand function,” the leaders lambasted.
M M Naseer too took a potshot saying some can’t sleep if they couldn’t air something against the party. “It’s these leaders who are preparing to contest the elections again. And it’s they who are creating issues,” he said.
P J Kurien lashed out that Tharoor was often crossing the ‘Laxman Rekha’. Johnson Abraham and K P Sreekumar too demanded disciplinary action against the Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan exhorted all leaders to unite behind Rahul Gandhi to take the party forward. “A situation where discipline doesn’t matter is dangerous,” Radhakrishnan, who is also the chairman of the party discipline committee, said. However, when he pointed out there were criticisms over Mannam’s photo used in the Vaikom procession, M Liju opposed it.
Jyothikumar Chamakkala rued that the “in-fights” between leaders have led to a situation where Congress leaders can’t go to the houses of voters. The state leaders should be ready to unit unite and stand rock solid behind Rahul Gandhi, exhorted Pazhakulam Madhu.
KPCC president K Sudhakaran didn’t reply to the sharp criticisms against the MPs. Opposition leader V D Satheesan charged that certain persons are always on the lookout for airing complaints. “If there is more oil in urad dal fritters (a common snack), the blame for the same is also on the KPCC president,” he scorned.
Sudhakaran desperately appeals for recast
KPCC president K Sudhakaran has appealed with folded hands for the reorganization of the Congress.
“Don’t you want the recast? You tell me. Let’s do it before the General Elections. I appeal to all to cooperate for that,” Sudhakaran said.
Since Parliament is in session, no MP other than Sudhakaran attended the meeting. Though the MPs had asked for deferring the meeting, Sudhakaran conveyed to them that there was no other date available to hold the meeting ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s reception in Wayanad on April 11.
He also explained that the meeting was held with the consent of AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar.
Several members of the Political Affairs Committee, including M M Hassan and Ramesh Chennithala, also did not attend the meeting.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan attended the meeting in the afternoon. Some of the DCC presidents too did not attend the meeting.