Congress A' camp backs K Muraleedharan to snipe at V M Sudheeran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress ‘A’ camp, led by former chief minister Oommen Chandy, and a loyal band backing K. Muraleedharan, MLA, have formed a common front against rival power centres, especially KPCC chief V.M. Sudheeran. Their animus towards former home minister Ramesh Chennithala, the ‘I’ camp leader, is secondary. The day unfolded with Chandy lieutenant K.C. Joseph, MLA, flashing a letter to Mr Sudheeran, demanding the summoning of the KPCC executive committee and the political affairs committee to discuss Mr Muraleedharan’s charge that the UDF as well as the Congress has been weak in fighting LDF government’s lapses.

Mr Sudheeran responded to Mr Muraleedharan on Monday, saying the party and the UDF had a style of agitation, distinct from that of the LDF while it was in the Opposition. But that does not absolve him of the charge that he had not convened the extended KPCC committee for more than eight months and the executive for nearly six months now. “Convene these committees and we shall battle it out there”, happens to be the message the combined Chandy-Murali camp now sends out to the rivals. This combination has the potential to turn deadly because Mr Muraleedharan commands the legacy of his father, the late Mr K. Karunakaran, the soft Hindu icon of the Congress in Kerala. Mr Muraleedharan could not carry this forward because Mr Chennithala projects himself as the Hindu leader and enjoyed the backing of the NSS. But, of late, NSS has almost given up on him.

The factional line-up, combining the best of Christian heartland and the forward class Hindu community, has been a time-tested factor in the state’s electoral politics. Mr Chennithala, yet to emerge as the de facto Opposition leader, has always feared the rise of Mr Muraleedharan. Mr Chandy is cleverly playing on Mr Muraleedharan’s ambition and Mr Chennithala’s mortal fears. The latest flash point in the factional war was the appointment of DCC presidents, which is being perceived as a high command slight to the Chandy group, which ended up with a mere three  out of the 14 district presidents. To offset the loss, Mr Chandy now insists on the organisational elections, hoping for a comfortable win at the grassroots-level.

Smarting under Mr Muraleedharan’s attack, Mr Chennithala sought to play down the barbs,  saying it was only a fair criticism and he himself would welcome the spirit with which it was raised. All eyes are now on Mr Sudheeran, whether he would heed the call for the committee meetings. Chandy loyalist Benny Behanan had twice demanded the convening of the meetings but to avail. A prominent ‘I’ group leader told DC that if they had worried  about Mr Chandy being alone until now, their decision to lend support to Mr Muraleedharan was rather unexpected. They braced themselves ahead for the show with the rival camp at the KPCC office.