THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress ‘Raksha Vedhi’ has come out with a five-page letter targeting KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran. The missive, which was also sent to the AICC, speaks of his failure to lead the party in the state and has demanded his removal from the post. The letter in the name of a newly-formed organisation was posted on WhatsApp and sent to the media by post on Saturday. However, it is suspected that the ‘A’ camp is behind it. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy has been in the vanguard of the fight against Mr Sudheeran who allegedly sidelined Mr Chandy’s ‘A’ camp in the appointments of DCC presidents.
Mr Chandy has gained an upper hand in the party after his meeting with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi a few days ago. “Sudheeran will now say that he is being crucified,” said a prominent ‘A’ group leader. The letter alleges that Mr Sudheeran, who will complete three years as PCC president, has pushed the Congress into a mire. It also claims that party mouthpiece, Veekshanam, which was revived by Mr Chandy and Mr Chennithala, is on the verge of closure. The television channel, Jai Hind TV, and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Development Studies constructed on a 30-acre campus near Neyyar Dam are also facing closure threat.
The letter alleged that instead of waging a battle against the LDF, Mr Sudheeran had deliberately delayed the selection of Congress candidates in the Assembly elections. “Most of the contents in the letter are true. The letter bomb has irked Sudheeran who is a prisoner of his own image,” said a Congress leader. A leader close to Mr Sudheeran told DC that he was not worried about the letter and was yet to call for an inquiry into the issue. However, the next KPCC executive meeting scheduled for January 28 is likely to be stormy.
