Bargate row: Kerala Congress (M) youth petition Sonia Gandhi

Thiruvanthapuram: The Youth Front (M), the youth wing of Kerala Congress (Mani), has alleged that  Congress leaders like Ramesh Chennithala and Adoor Prakash and bar owner Biju Ramesh had hatched a conspiracy against   party chairman K.M. Mani in the bar row which saw the downfall of the UDF. In a strongly-worded four-page letter sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Saji Manjakkadambil, Youth Front (M) president, said that former chief minister Oommen Chandy was  also under a cloud in the bar row.

The letter is said to be a ‘chargesheet’ being given by Mr Mani against the UDF leadership. Recently, when Mr Chennithala and Mr Chandy attended the betrothal of Mr Adoor Prakash’s son with Mr Biju Ramesh’s daughter, it had snowballed into a major controversy.

The letter to Ms Sonia Gandhi said that the attendance of these two leaders at the ceremony evoked  suspicion. In fact, when KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran  criticised Mr Chandy and Mr Chennithala over their action, the KC (M) leaders had congratulated him on  taking such a stand. Mr Saji Manjakkadambil said the Youth Front’s charge that Congress leaders had raked up the bar row had  been proved right. The letter said that the major cause for the poll debacle of the UDF was the internal squabbles within the Congress and the bar row.

Mr Manjakkadambil demanded stern action against the senior Congress leaders and wanted  an apology from the Congress leadership to Mr Mani. “After the golden jubilee celebrations of KC (M), there was a public demand to make Mr Mani the chief minister. The CPM had invited Mr Mani to its Palakkad plenary session to inaugurate the seminar on Kerala economy,” said  Mr  Manjakkadambil.

He added that Congress leaders, who feared  that Mr Mani was a political threat to them, hatched the  conspiracy  against him. Congress leaders feel that the Youth Front leader has the blessings of Mr Mani in sending the letter to Ms Sonia Gandhi.  They also think  that it is a planned move to walk out of the UDF after  claiming that the KC(M) had done its  best to save the front.  

The other day,  Mr Mani had said that the UDF was  trying to tie him down in the front fearing that he would join the Left camp.  Mr Mani also said in a television programme on Saturday that though his party knew who  who had hatched the  conspiracy against him, out of decency he was  not revealing their names. He reiterated that it was improper for Mr  Chandy and Mr Chennithala to attend the betrothal ceremony.