THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Another storm is gathering in the Congress party as the AICC prepares to revamp the KPCC leadership. Congress high command is keen to appoint a new president as well as working presidents to strengthen the party. Caught up in the Rajya Sabha seat row, they are yet to take a final decision. The respective group leaders, AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Oommen Chandy, and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had already given their choices.
Post-RS seat gift row, it is to be seen whether Congress president Rahul Gandhi will go by them. Reports from Delhi suggest Mr Gandhi is keen on appointing working presidents on the lines of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka (North and South Karnataka Congress working presidents), Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha and Telangana. Some of these PCCs have more than one working president.
A senior ‘A’ group leader said Mr Chandy and company had misled Mr Gandhi claiming that Congress will contest 16 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 national elections and left the RS seat for the KC (M) and it cannot be repeated in these appointments. “Sometimes one or two working presidents are likely to be appointed. But this will not be good for the party as it will only create further power centres or groups. Majority of us feel that it is going to be impractical,” he told DC. There are also demands from the KPCC’s current committee members that the AICC leadership should directly appoint at least half the members comprising vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries.
But sources close to AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik, said the central leadership is contemplating a few direct appointments so that group leaders can keep their followers in good humour later. This move is going to create further ripples. Leaders whose names doing the rounds for the president include MPs Mullappally Ramachandran, K. V. Thomas and Kodikunnil Suresh and Benny Behanan, K. Sudhakaran and V. D. Satheesan MLA. Thrikka-kara MLA P. T. Thomas is also a dark horse.
