Fractures in the Congress in Kerala threatened to resurface again on Friday with Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan perceiving an intra-party plot to drive a wedge between the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaderships.
Mr. Satheesan's arguably "provocative" assertion assumed organisational significance for the party against the backdrop of a widely circulated "rumour" that KPCC president K. Sudhakaran had distanced himself from Mr. Satheesan.
The grapevine was that Mr. Sudhakaran felt Mr. Satheesan had blindsided him by orchestrating strident opposition to the preselection of District Congress Committee (DCC) and block committee office-bearers.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) had halted the nomination process after eight Congress MPs complained that the list was heavily loaded in favour of Mr. Sudhakaran. It did not seem to help the KPCC president that he had announced his resolve to contest in the organisational elections planned tentatively for May.
Some KPCC insiders had alleged an incipient group led by AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and Mr. Satheesan had thwarted the list to stymie Mr. Sudhakaran and gain sway in the party's State unit.
Mr. Satheesan sought to quash the rumours. Neither Mr. Sudhakaran nor he sported the opinion that Mr. Venugopal had meddled in the party's affairs in Kerala. Moreover, Mr. Sudhakaran was constantly in touch and on the best of terms. Both leaders would work in tandem to complete the restructuring process.
Mr. Satheesan said some persons possibly upset by the loss of posts they held earlier had attempted to portray him as the leader of an emergent group beholden to Mr. Venugopal. "As Opposition Leader, I am not part of any group. If I am constrained to align with a particular faction, I will quit the post," he said.
Mr. Satheesan said those who spread canards about the party, currently in the throes of reorganisation, advantaged the ruling front. The Congress would rein in such individuals if they crossed the rubicon.
By some accounts, the A-group viewed the ongoing tussle in the Congress as a spat between former I-group leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Mr. Satheesan. An A-group insider said the faction would stay out of the brawl.
