Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has requested the party's national president Sonia Gandhi to take "strict and befitting disciplinary action" against All India Congress Committee (AICC) member and former Union Minister Professor K.V. Thomas for breach of organisational discipline.
In a letter to Ms. Gandhi, KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said Prof. Thomas had defied party diktat and attended a seminar at the venue of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] party congress in Kannur.
He said Prof. Thomas's presence at the CPI(M) function was an affront to the memory of 80 Congress activists who had lost their lives to Marxist violence over the years.
KPCC had advised Congress leaders to give the CPI(M) overtures to court them a wide berth. It felt that accepting the CPI(M) welcome would be tantamount to dishonouring the martyrs, trivialising their sacrifice, and insulting their families.
Nevertheless, few Congress leaders had written to Ms. Gandhi seeking permission to attend the national seminar on ‘challenges to federalism’. However, Ms. Gandhi had asked them to comply with the KPCC’s decision.
In his letter, Mr. Sudhakaran appeared to hint that Mr. Thomas was the CPI(M) 's mole in Congress for long. "Prof. Thomas's decision to attend the seminar was pre-planned, and he was in touch with several CPI(M) leaders for the past year," Mr. Sudhakaran said
Prof. Thomas had also publicly denounced the ideological positions of the Congress party and its political agenda. "During his interactions with the media, he has made belittling statements against the AICC and the State leadership. His pronouncements have deeply hurt the sentiments of party cadres and the families of martyrs who gave their lives for the existence of our party," he said.
KPCC's efforts to discourage Mr. Thomas from accepting the CPI(M) invite were in vain. The party felt that Mr. Thomas had violated Congress etiquette and discipline. He had acted in flagrant contravention of party direction. Mr. Sudhakaran said he had consulted with senior leaders before recommending disciplinary action against Mr. Thomas.
