Oommen Chandy said he has conveyed his inability to attend the PAC to KPCC president M M Hassan and leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala.Thiruvananthapuram: Amid a raging controversy in the Congress state unit over the allocation of a Rajya Sabha seat, veteran leader Oommen Chandy will skip a meeting of the party's political affairs committee (PAC) on Monday.
Chandy will miss the meeting as he will be heading to Andhra Pradesh to meet the party leaders there on Monday. This is his first trip to Andhra after he was appointed an AICC general secretary in charge of the TDP-ruled state.
He will be in Andhra till Tuesday and hold talks with the former MPs and DCC office-bearers. He will host a dinner for senior party leaders Monday evening.
The former Kerala chief minister said he has conveyed his inability to attend the PAC to KPCC president M M Hassan and leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala.
The PAC has been convened in the wake of the in-fighting that erupted in the state unit of the Congress after the party ceded a vacant Rajya Sabha seat to former ally Kerala Congress (M). The KC (M) returned to the Congress-led UDF after this, much to the displeasure of a wide section of Congress leaders, who slammed Chandy and other top leaders for giving up the RS seat, violating precedence.
The loud voices of dissidence are most likely to reverberate in Monday's PAC meeting.
"P J Kurien, P C Chacko and Shanimol Usman, who are part of the panel, share a feeling of dejection as they were hopeful of getting the seat," sources said.
V M Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan - both former KPCC presidents - and K V Thomas, MP, are among those who made their displeasure over the decision public.
Meanwhile, leaders of the 'A' faction in the party would defend Chandy and oppose the move to isolate him over the decision.
"There's no point in convening PAC now as it is unlikely to take any decision for the good of the party. Most of the members of the committee have made public statements. The leaders' attempt will be to make headlines," said Joseph Vazhackan. He said a KPCC executive meeting should be called instead of the PAC.
The new KPCC chief should challenge Pinarayi: Youth leaders
The youth brigade in the Congress wants a strong leader who is capable of taking on both the CPM and BJP as the new KPCC president. Cutting across groups, the young leaders conveyed their demand to seniors in the state as well as in New Delhi. Instead of a united move, the young members approached the veterans who were close to them.
A strong leader is needed to break the myth that the LDF has become stronger after the Chengannur bypoll. He should be able to stand up to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and also capable of implementing strong measures, feel the young leaders.
In normal cases, the Congress selects a person who is acceptable to the senior leaders as its president. However, the young leaders are not in favour of such a move. There is a general impression that after the five-year LDF rule, the UDF need not come back to power. Though both fronts have been alternately ruling the state over the last few decades, things could be different this time, it is felt. The BJP is carrying out a systematic campaign widening its base in the state, sensing an opportunity. Moreover, both CPM and BJP are engaged in ensuring the support of the youth. To counter both parties, the Congress too needs a president who could win over the young section of society, according to the youth leaders.
The formula for reconstituting the top leadership of the state Congress is not acceptable to the young leaders. It was planned to make Mullappally Ramachandran the president and two leaders from among K Sudhakaran, Kodikkunnil Suresh and V D Satheesan the working presidents. In other states, the Congress has implemented such a formula. But it is pointed out that such an arrangement will not work in Kerala as differences would crop up between the leaders.
The young leaders’ demand is that those occupying the president’s post of KPCC, different blocks and ‘mandalams’ should be below 50 years of age. Senior leaders do not oppose this condition for presidents of ‘mandalams’.
