THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Discontent is brewing in the state Congress over the leadership considering tainted people and those who have lost the Assembly elections for the DCC presidents’ posts. Former KPCC general secretary T. Siddique, the loyalist of former chief minister Oommen Chandy, who has been embroiled in a land row in Kozhikode, is lobbying for the Kozhikode DCC president's post. The Congress leadership is expected to prepare the list of the probable DCC presidents at the political affairs committee meeting to be held on November 2.
AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik and secretary in charge of the state Dipak Babaria are also expected to attend the meeting after which they will apprise AICC vice- president Rahul Gandhi of the developments. The list of DCC presidents is likely to be announced in New Delhi by November 10. "The majority of those being considered for the DCC presidents' posts had been given several responsibilities in the party earlier. Despite their failures, they managed to get Assembly seats but were defeated. The same crop of aspirants is lobbying with the help of their godfathers to wreck the chances of other eligible persons," said a Congress leader.
Recently, Mr Siddique was caught in a major land row in Kozhikode where he intervened to settle a family dispute. It is alleged that Mr Siddique along with local Congress leader N. K. Abdurahman and former Thamarassery panchayat president Habeeb Thampi managed to register the land in their names. But Mr Siddique has denied the allegations on his Facebook page citing that he had tried to settle the dispute as early as in 1991 when he was studying in Kozhikode Devagiri College. The family of his college friend Ajay Philomin was involved in the dispute with those of his own family. "To settle the issue, one acre of land was registered in our names as we had acted as intermediaries. Later, the land was sold off and the money was handed over to my friend," he said.
