Venugopal plays down talk of Congress rift in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday avoided commenting on reports of a rift within Kerala’s ruling United Democratic Front, insisting that any disagreement within the party should be addressed internally.

The AICC general secretary was responding to questions over the apparent strain between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who heads the UDF, and its convenor Adoor Prakash. Venugopal said he would not discuss party matters outside its forums.

“I am a disciplined worker of the party. If I have anything to say, I will say it within the party and not outside,” he told reporters. “If there are any issues, they will be discussed within the party.”

Venugopal’s remarks come as the UDF faces questions over its internal coordination. Adoor Prakash has publicly complained that meetings of the front were not being held regularly and that major policy decisions were being taken without consulting him.

He has also criticised the Chief Minister’s functioning and alleged that the party leadership was being kept out of key decisions.

Satheesan has largely refrained from responding to the allegations. On Wednesday, he said only that the date of the next UDF meeting would be conveyed to the convenor once it was finalised.

Venugopal also declined to confirm when a new Kerala Congress president would be appointed. He said the party high command would announce a decision at the appropriate time.

Asked whether the leadership should respond to the growing public discussion over the party’s internal affairs, Venugopal dismissed the question. “You are interested only in making speculations. You can continue doing that,” he said.

The Congress high command has yet to name a new state party chief. The uncertainty, coupled with the public differences between the UDF chairman and convenor, has renewed attention on the party’s organisational functioning in Kerala.

(Inputs from IANS)