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.
