THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress groups’ move to oust Mr V.M. Sudheeran as PCC president has received a setback with senior leader A.K. Antony telling the AICC leadership that he should not be made a scapegoat for the poll debacle. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi have relied on Mr Antony’s counsel regarding the Kerala affairs and his support has given a shot in the arm for Mr Sudheeran.
Mr Rahul Gandhi had held talks with the senior KPCC leaders during the last few weeks on strengthening the party and has asked them to end the groupism to revive the party. Sources told DC that Mr Antony supported the corrective measures taken by Mr Sudheeran before the Assembly elections. The three senior leaders, Mr Oommen Chandy, Mr Sudheeran and Mr Ramesh Chennithala had owned up collective responsibility for the poll debacle, and Mr Chandy had opted out of any positions in the party.
“So Chennithala was chosen as the Opposition Leader. Therefore, Mr Antony told the AICC leadership that Mr Sudheeran should not be made a scapegoat,” said a leader. The central leadership wants to end factional politics in the state, but the state leaders have ignored it. Many leaders have told the central leadership that Mr Sudheeran cannot lead the party in the next Lok Sabha elections.
“Both Chennithala and Sudheeran can’t take the allies into confidence and fight the LDF,” said a senior ‘I’ group leader. Meanwhile, seven KPCC secretaries told Mr Rahul Gandhi that they had been holding on to the same post for the last 13 years and that they want restructuring of the party.
