VM Sudheeran gets cold vibes from Sonia Gandhi, meets Rahul Gandhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Officially, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran may have rushed back to the state to attend Wednesday’s UDF stocktaking, but sources confirm that Congress president Sonia Gandhi, disappointed by the poll reversal, denied him an audience in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Ms Gandhi was in the office, but Mr Sudheeran had to be content with meeting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He later told the media there was no move for a change of guard in the state unit of the party. The post-poll scene has been unfavourable to Mr Sudheeran as leaders of both factions have met the AICC leadership, demanding his ouster for playing spoilsport and undermining UDF’s prospects in the Assembly elections.

On Monday, Youth Congress leaders, led by Mr Mathew Kuzhalnadan, had a 25-minute meeting with Ms Gandhi. The Revive Congress leaders complained to the high command about “gerontocracy” prevailing in the state party and the harm it continued to cause to the party.

In the last few days, senior leader A.K. Antony, Mr K.C. Venugopal, Mr Kodikunnil Suresh and Mr K.V. Thomas, all MPs, and KTDC chairman Vijayan Thomas met the president and vice-president, giving their reasons for the UDF’s drubbing. ‘A’ group leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and ‘I’ group leader K. Sudhakaran are also in Delhi.

Mr Sudheeran’s meeting with Mr Gandhi lasted an hour on Tuesday, during which he was asked to find reasons for the poll rout and initiate correctives. Mr Sudheeran maintained that defeat in elections was not permanent and a substantial change would be brought about at the organisational levels.

“Defeat and failure are not permanent. UDF’s defeat in the Assembly elections has been severe. Congress will overcome it soon. We will organise protest dharna in all 140 constituencies on June 20 against the increase in prices of petrol and LPG,” said Mr Sudheeran.

Mr Gandhi, according to sources, was also not happy with Mr Sudheeran for his failure to control group activities. There are unconfirmed reports that Mr Sudheeran has been asked to continue in the post of PCC chief till the organisational revamp is over.