Allies for Oommen Chandy, K Muraleedharan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Allies in the United Democratic Front (UDF) are now looking for a silver line to emerge from the internecine quarrels in the Congress: the formation of a new triumvirate to power their efforts to return to its lost glory. They would like to see Oommen Chandy taking over as  KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan getting an elevation as UDF convenor while Ramesh Chennithala remaining the leader of Opposition, making it a powerful combination. The only thorn in the flesh, however, is the consistent stand taken by Mr Chandy that he will take up no official position for now.

At the recently held UDF meeting, the allies were upbeat and rallied behind Mr Chennithala much to his happiness. It should be recalled that it was RSP state secretary A. A. Azeez who kicked off the controversy saying Mr Chandy would have been a better leader of opposition than the incumbent Mr Chennithala.  But the allies had ensured that there the situation in the Congress did not aggravate further by dragging the issue yet again. A prominent UDF leader told DC that they are waiting for the emergence of the “deadly combination” to come at the helm of the UDF which he believes will offer the front rich electoral dividends in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“The Congress can bounce back only if Mr Chandy comes at the helm of the party,” said a UDF leader. “But unfortunately he is not relenting as he is upset as the then rival group led by Mr Chennithala had not allowed him to govern smoothly.  There was a secret understanding within the Chennithala camp that they would sit in the Opposition.” The allies want the Congress to overlook factors such as Mr Chennithala and Mr Muraleedharan belonging to the same caste that could play spoilsport as they feel the next Lok Sabha elections will be too crucial for the Congress. 

A top Congress leader based in New Delhi, however, said Mr Chandy is reluctant to take up the post as he is worried about the outcome of the judicial commission probing the solar scam. “Mr Chandy is cautious as he will have to step down in case the commission makes an adverse remark,” he said. “Also, he will have to inform AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi that he is ready to take up a party role as the latter will not accept a leader who keeps iterating that he will not hold any posts.”