CM Pinarayi Vijayan Says Crisis in Kerala Congress Will Deepen

Senior CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that the crisis in the Congress party in the state is set to intensify, even as the KPCC leadership today appeared to strike a truce with its warring leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala. A day after the two factions in the Congress in Kerala, led by the two leaders, lashed out at the new leadership over their “arrogant style” of functioning, KPCC chief K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan on Saturday reached out to them, expressing their willingness to discuss all matters.

Sudhakaran, however, warned the leaders engaging in a public spat, saying such practice would be stopped and a semi-cadre system would be introduced in the party. “The issues within the Congress will intensify, but I am not commenting on their internal matters,” Vijayan told a press conference here when asked about the rift in the Congress.

He said that if the Congress could carry forward the secular mentality, then it would be good for the country. Chandy and Chennithala, the two titans of Congress in Kerala, recently expressed their displeasure over being sidelined in the selection of district Congress chiefs.

When the new PCC leadership started wielding the sword of discipline against their protesting supporters, Chennithala on Friday lashed out at a new power centre in the party, indicating that many of them had violated discipline in the past and asked what would happen if it was implemented retrospectively. “We are ready for talks. I have already spoken to Oommen Chandy. We are not fighting each other. We are on talking terms with everyone. But some people are spreading false information,” Sudhakaran told reporters here.

Sources close to the senior leadership of the Congress said Satheesan had spoken to Chennithala and offered a truce. Meanwhile, Satheesan, speaking at a party event said Chennithala and Chandy are two senior party leaders and cannot be ignored.

“If any party workers are upset over the functioning of the Congress or if any leader is upset over the party decisions, we will talk to them, listen to their grievances and solve it,” Satheesan said. Chandy had earlier in the day told the media that he would co-operate if someone takes the initiative to solve the issue. Meanwhile, ousted KPCC general secretary P S Prasanth, who joined the CPI(M) on Friday, met the Chief Minister today.

“He (Prasanth) agreed to join and work with CPI(M). He said he wanted to side with secularism,” Vijayan said.