Just as the rumblings within its leadership have placed the party in a precarious position, the rebel faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Kerala looks up to the national leadership to negotiate the way towards a settlement.
Party sources said NCP general secretary Praful Patel would be visiting Kerala soon for holding discussions on the outstanding issues within the party. His visit, slated later next week, comes close on the heels of a recent meeting between party chief Sharad Pawar and Thomas K. Thomas, the party’s legislator from Kuttanad.
When contacted, Mr. Thomas said the meeting pertained to “some organisational issues” within the party State unit and the reconstitution of the party core committee in view of the “influx of several senior leaders” from other parties to the NCP. “While the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has accorded foremost priority to the development of Kuttanad, as evident in the latest State Budget, there exists a situation within my organisation that does not permit me to focus on my work as a legislator,” he said.
The party State president P.C. Chacko, however, said he was yet to be intimated about any visit by Mr. Patel and that the national leadership had asked him to handle the organisational issues within the party State unit on his own.
“During a meeting in March first week, the party leadership entrusted me with taking care of all organisational issues in Kerala. I think Mr. Thomas, who met Mr. Pawar in New Delhi the other day, too has been advised to approach the State president. Against this backdrop, I do not think that Mr. Patel will come down to the State and hold any meetings,” he said.
Broader push
The party unit has been witnessing an increasingly spiteful factional spat, with a section of leaders launching a stinging attack on Mr. Chacko, accusing him of attempting to bring the party under control by appointing his confidants in key party positions. The raging feud echoes a broader push by the old guard to curtail the influence of Mr. Chacko and his allies, who are mostly former Congress workers, over the State unit.
The rebel faction has been also critical of alleged attempts by Mr. Chacko to secure a Rajya Sabha seat for himself and bring back Mani C. Kappan, MLA, who exited the party last year. While Mr. Chacko has already denied any attempt to bring Mr. Kappan back to the NCP fold, the criticism leveled by Mr. Kappan against the United Democratic Front (UDF) leadership has added to the speculations in this regard.
