Kochi: A sense of confession and an urge to correct were the prevailing mood at the Congress top brass’ meeting held in Delhi on Friday as they sat together to do a reality check on the organisational situation in Kerala. Though nobody was named at the three-hour-long meeting attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Rahul Gandhi, and around 30 leaders from the state, the discontent within the party over the recent controversies in the state unit was expressed by most of the leaders. 

In her post-meeting media briefing, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, made it clear that there was a feeling within the party that “we should not do anything that disrespects the people of Kerala”. It was a clear message against the controversies involving top leaders from the state, which created a perception that there was no unity within the leadership and there were too many claimants for the chief minister’s post, though there is no certainty about the party’s chances in the assembly elections due next year.

Multiple sources, aware of what happened inside the meet, confirmed that the alleged lack of unity in the state unit was addressed during the brainstorming. AICC secretary and MLA P C Vishnunadh was the first to speak. He pointed out the issues concerning various sections of the people and the need to take them up. He said the perception that the party lacks unity was the only problem before the organisation. Others mostly echoed the concern.

Congress Working Committee member and MP Shashi Tharoor, Working Committee invitee Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran spoke towards the end of the meet.

While Tharoor sought to clear the confusions triggered by his recent article and interview and asserted that he would work maximum to ensure the Congress’ victory in the 2026 state polls, Satheesan went on to say that he was not eyeing the chief minister post. “Satheesan said he was only carrying out the responsibility entrusted upon him by the party and he was not looking up to the CM’s post,” a senior leader who attended the meet told Onmanorama. The opposition leader claimed that the narrative that leaders were fighting each other to become the CM was a media creation. 

Satheesan also told the national leaders that the Congress-led UDF has a chance to win up to 100 out of 140 seats in the state. He said Congress alone can win up to 65 seats, though it has been restricted to 21 now. 

Chennithala mentioned the alleged nexus between the CPM and the BJP and highlighted the need to chalk out a special strategy to overcome it. 

In their tun, both Rahul Gandhi and Kharge stressed the need to maintain party discipline and put aside personal interests. “Kharge said that when party workers were fighting the BJP on the streets and MPs inside the parliament, it was not proper to make statements praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a leader who attended the meet said. He said Kharge did not mention Tharoor’s name but was referring to the latter’s remarks on the Modi-Trump meeting.

Gandhi urged the leaders to convince the people of Kerala that they are together. A party source said Gandhi also mentioned that the Kerala Congress (M) leaving the UDF had affected the front’s performance in the 2021 polls.