New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Concerned by the growing internal rift within the Kerala Congress, the party’s central leadership has issued a stern warning to state leaders, urging them to set aside their differences and present a united front ahead of the upcoming local body and assembly elections.
According to party sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a series of closed-door, one-on-one discussions with key leaders from Kerala to address the situation.
Interestingly, AICC general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal and Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi did not attend these meetings.
Some leaders reportedly told the central leadership that public spats among senior figures were damaging the party’s image and weakening its electoral prospects. Another leader is said to have raised concerns about dissatisfaction within the organisation following the recent reshuffle in the Youth Congress, TNIE reported.
Among those who met the top leadership were state party president Sunny Joseph, Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and K. Sudhakaran, and UDF convenor Adoor Prakash.
After the meeting, Sudhakaran told reporters that a few leaders were responsible for creating disunity within the party. When asked about this remark, Kharge avoided elaboration, saying that not everything could be discussed publicly.
Satheesan is understood to have conveyed his frustration over the delay in finalising the new list of KPCC secretaries, while Adoor Prakash reportedly expressed displeasure that there was inadequate consultation during the preparation of the KPCC general secretary list.
Sources said the central leadership has taken note of the widening divide in the Kerala unit and warned that the internal discord could seriously affect the party’s performance in the forthcoming elections.
However, Kharge downplayed the reports of infighting, asserting that there was no factionalism in the Kerala Congress and expressing confidence that the party would return to power in the state. He said that discussions were ongoing with senior leaders and would soon extend to younger members, after which the leadership would review all feedback before deciding on the next steps.
Deepa Dasmunshi also maintained that the leadership was paying close attention to every issue raised and appreciated the seriousness with which the high command was handling matters related to Kerala. She reiterated that claims of factionalism were exaggerated and blamed the media, as well as rival parties like the LDF and BJP, for attempting to create that perception, insisting that the Congress in Kerala remained united.