THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony has initiated damage control measures to pacify the warring leaders, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, over the liquor policy.
AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi has apprised party president Sonia Gandhi of the political imbroglio in the state and Mr Antony was asked to intervene in the issue.
But sources told DC that Mr Antony and Mr Sudheeran had spoken over the phone on Friday when Mr Sudheeran stood firm in his stand.
Several second-rung Congress leaders have complained against the tough stand taken by Mr Sudheeran on the liquor policy.
But the Sudheeran camp thinks that the government has been put on the defensive as Mr Chandy has been forced to call a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party on Monday.
The Muslim League, the biggest alliance partner of the UDF, has also said that it will not support the Congress on the liquor policy.
A leader close to Mr Sudheeran said, “the Christian groups are likely to start an agitation against the government decision to tweak the liquor policy.
Moreover, Antony had said that the general public had supported the UDF government’s decision to bring in prohibition in a phased manner. So, not a single leader of AICC has asked him to back out from his firm stand,” he said.
A senior AICC leader recalled that Mr Sudheeran was appointed as PCC chief early this year with great expectations, but that he had failed in his duties. He said it would be difficult for Mr Sudheeran to continue in his office if senior leaders also complained against him.
“So far only second-rung leaders from Kerala have complained against Sudheeran ever since the UDF meeting decided to make changes in the liquor policy.
But whether Sudheeran should continue in office or not depends on how exactly the rival factions want to deal with the issue, especially Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. It’s a tricky situation where Antony would have to bring the warring leaders together,” said the AICC leader.
Former KPCC presidents like Thennala Balakrishna Pillai and C. V. Padmarajan expressed their reservations about Mr Sudheeran. Former Governor of Mizoram Vakkom Purushothaman told DC that liquor prohibition was a failure everywhere in the world.
“It is for the government headed by Chandy to decide on the liquor policy. Sudheeran is not the chief minister and he is only the party chief. The liquor policy taken by Chandy was not found practical and had to be tweaked,” said Mr Vakkom.
