With the Lok Sabha elections just days away, fault lines within the Kerala Congress appear to be deepening as one of its vice-presidents has announced his decision to leave the party.
V.C. Chandy, a prominent figure in the regional party from the Malabar region for over four decades, declared his resignation on Sunday. Echoing the reasons cited by those who resigned from the party previously, he too cited differences over the candidature of Francis K. George in Kottayam and the alleged domination of Mons Joseph, MLA, in the party as the primary reasons for his decision.
“In the face of significant challenges confronting settler farmers, the party has remained silent and ineffective on crucial issues such as the buffer zone, wildlife attacks, and title deeds,” Mr. Chandy said. He accused party chairman P.J. Joseph of passivity in countering the attempts by his son Apu John Joseph and party executive chairman Mons Joseph, MLA, to assert dominance within the party.
Without consultations
According to Mr. Chandy, the decision to nominate Mr. George as the party’s candidate in Kottayam was made without any internal consultations.
The flurry of resignations, coming in the face of an all-important election in Kottayam, has dealt a severe blow to the Joseph faction. The party leadership, however, remains unfazed and asserted that the resignations would have minimal impact on the election outcome in Kottayam.
“Similar to Saji Manjakadambil’s resignation, there seems to be a coordinated effort behind these resignations at this critical juncture. Nonetheless, we have chosen to disregard them until after the elections,” said a senior party leader.
