Oommen Chandy is the best, A A Azeez asserts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: RSP general secretary A.A. Azeez has beaten a hasty retreat after his statement praising former chief minister Oommen Chandy and  criticising Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala created a controversy. Initially, Mr Azeez  told reporters here on Saturday that Mr Chandy would be a  better Opposition Leader than Mr Ramesh Chennithala.  The RSP had  demanded that Mr Chandy should become the Opposition Leader even in the past, he said. “Chennithala does not  have  the ability  to work as hard as Chandy who devotes 24 hours for the party,” he said.

“Chennithala wouldn’t get the kind of consideration and people’s approval that Chandy gets. And this is the opinion not only among the allies,  but within the Congress itself,”  said  Mr Azeez.  However, within two hours he retracted his statement following sharp reactions from the Congress leaders.  Mr Azeez  clarified that he had never said that  Mr  Chennithala was not  hardworking. The reports to the contrary were baseless, he said.

KPCC president M. M. Hassan rallied behind   Mr Chennithala saying the allies can’t decide  who should be the Opposition Leader.  He told reporters at Aluva that  Mr Chennithala was appointed as Opposition Leader with the support of  Mr Chandy."Both the Congress party and the UDF have complete trust in Chennithala,"  he  said.Mr Chandy told reporters in Kozhikode that he would never hold any official party posts.  He would  remain as a party member and intervene in the  people’s issues, he said. Mr Chennithala  remained tight-lipped on the controversy.