Thiruvananthapuram: SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan would like to have an Ezhava as KPCC president, but has refused to express his preference for V.M. Sudheeran, Mullappally Ramachandran or K. Sudhakaran, the contenders for the post.
Natesan, in fact, wants to brand the Congress as a party of minorities and Christians and rally his community behind him ahead of the Ezhava Maha Sangamam at Shanghumugham beach here on Jan. 31.
According to sources, a union minister from the state has sent incriminating evidence against Speaker G. Karthikeyan to the AICC citing his role in the SNC-Lavalin case, in a bid to thwart his chance of becoming the KPCC chief.
Incumbent KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala and chief minister Oommen Chandy have rooted for Karthikeyan as the new KPCC chief. A top Congress leader told DC that Vellappally spoke to Chandy and defence minister A.K. Antony on Sunday and expressed his desire to have an Ezhava as KPCC chief.
For the last few days, Vellappally has been keeping silent over the issue. “Why should I reveal the name of the person whom I pitch for? It is my personal view. If I reveal that I like Sudheeran more, he would say that he doesn’t require my certificate. For years, Ezhava community has been an oppressed lot and I don’t want to demand that one of these Ezhava aspirants be given a key post,” Vellappally told DC.
(Though the CBI exonerated Karthikeyan in the Lavalin case, it alleged that he was the Power Minister during the time of the signing of the MoU and was behind the controversy.)
It is alleged that when Chennithala called on Pinarayi Vijayan the other day, he wanted the CPM not to raise Karthikeyan’s involvement in the Lavalin case.
