Thiruvananthapuram: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy is yet to recover from the shock treatment administered to the ‘A’ camp by the AICC in the appointment of DCC presidents. Mr Chandy kept off the installation of Mr Babu George as Pathanamthitta DCC president on Monday. Mr Babu George has not been on good terms with Mr Chandy for some time and is closer to senior Congress leader A. K Antony and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P. J. Kurien. Mr Chandy has also not attended any programmes connected with his loyalists’ takeover in the three districts--Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kasargod—ever since the DCC presidents’ list was announced on December 8.
But KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran claimed that all senior leaders were taken into confidence before the appointments were made. Mr Chandy has been isolated in the party since he refused to hold any positions after the Assembly election debacle. He is now engaged in a ‘cold war’ with the AICC leadership. Mr Antony will be in the state capital for three days from Tuesday to discuss the issues with the party leaders. “The ‘A’ camp has adopted a ‘go-slow’ attitude. We will not raise the matter in any open forum and will wait for the new DCC presidents to prove themselves,” said an ‘A’ group leader.
Mr Antony had a hand in sidelining the ‘A’ camp, it is said. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala had played his cards well by giving his preferences for all the 14 districts. The MPs belonging to his group had briefed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his team on the probable DCC presidents. “The AICC has not been able to control the two factions in the party. The appointments of the new DCC presidents saw the union of Antony, Chennithala and Sudheeran,” a KPCC general secretary told DC.
