CM Oommen Chandy scotches leadership talk

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The debate on the UDF leader for the Assembly polls has been put at rest with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy saying that the matter will be disposed of by Congress at the appropriate time.

Mr Chandy was replying to questions on the debate set off by KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran’s comment on TV that given his performance, Mr Chandy would lead the party in the next Assembly polls.

Mr Sudheeran, however, amended the statement later, saying it was his personal opinion.

Mr Chandy on Saturday iterated that the leadership question was not on the UDF agenda.

Congress had a mechanism to decide such matters, but for now it was important to fight the local polls together.   

The leadership question had set off ripples in Congress, with both ‘A’ and ‘I’ camps feeling Mr Sudheeran’s comment was untimely and uncalled for. The leaders suspect Mr Sudheeran was testing the waters.

Mr Chandy is leagues ahead of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Mr Sudheeran in popular estimation as the CM.

But Mr Chennithala believes he is next in line as ‘I’ group has the claim and he represents the majority Hindu community. Mr Sudheeran, the AICC pick for pradesh president, is also said to nurse CM ambitions.           

On Friday, Mr Chennithala said in Kollam that it was inopportune to discuss the leadership during local elections. He was publicly displeased with someone like Mr Sudheeran plumping for Mr Chandy.  

Mr Chennithala has been tactless and impatient. He contested the last Assembly election without stepping down as the pradesh president. He was unrealistic in thinking that the AICC would favour him for CM, ignoring the stature of Mr Chandy.  

But Mr Sudheeran is more cautious as he enjoyed limited support from within the party. “Mr Sudheeran would await definite indications from the AICC before plunging into the fray”, said a KPCC general secretary.

“Mr Chandy remains the skipper and looks unassailable. There is no way he can be replaced if UDF comes back to power”, he said.

Mr Sudheeran eyed a seat in Thrissur, sources close to him had confirmed to DC. But now they believe that a final decision would be taken only after the outcome of the local bodies.