The last thing the Congress in Kerala needs is perhaps a new group in the already faction-riven party.
Nevertheless, the fear of an emergent bloc allegedly under the leadership of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran, MP, and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan has reportedly impelled the traditional ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups in the party to strike a tactical alliance.
Both blocs appeared aggrieved that the “new faction” had weaponised the party’s reorganisation drive to whittle down their organisational influence from the block president level and upwards and plant its loyalists in key positions instead.
‘A’ and ‘I’ leaders publicly complained that the current disposition arbitrarily reorganised the party and violated the consensus approach mandated by the KPCC’s Wayanad leadership conclave. Their statements cast into sharp relief the “new divisions” within the Congress.
The ‘A’ and ‘I’ factions alleged that the Congress in Kerala had ceased to be an expansive umbrella that traditionally accommodated diverse interests under the same canopy.
Top ‘A’ group leaders met their ailing helmsman and former Chief Minister Oomen Chandy in Bengaluru, triggering speculation that a realignment of groups, albeit temporarily, was in the offing.
The delegation included veteran leader K.C. Joseph and United Democratic Front convener M.M. Hassan and Benny Behanan, MP.
The groups also privately accused the KPCC leadership of listlessness and failure to counter ruling front attacks, including the ineptness in capitalising on an Left Democratic Front leader’s insinuation that the political alliance influenced the outcome of the judicial commission that investigated the Solar scam, which rocked the previous Oommen Chandy government.
A party insider said the current feuding might be transient and backdoor negotiations were on at the All India Congress Committee level.
He said the success in containing severe factionalism to author an emphatic victory in the State Assembly elections in Karnataka had imbued the AICC with renewed confidence, and the national leadership reportedly felt it could bargain with regional factions in Kerala from a position of strength.
The AICC had refocused the Karnataka party in seizing public anxiety around the rising cost of living, urban decay and hate crime, among other issues and helped it close ranks against the BJP’s attempts to exploit the disarray and engineer defections.
The AICC also prevented a glaring power vacuum post-Assembly elections in Karnataka and contained divisions in the PCC in Rajasthan. The high command seemed confident it could effectively confront factionalism in Kerala ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
