The bone of contention between the two factions led by senior KC(M) leader P J Joseph and Jose K. Mani, son of KC(M) founder, late K M Mani, is the Kottayam district panchayat president’s post. The post is at present held by a loyalist of the Jose faction. The Joseph faction wants him to quit the post, but the Jose faction has said a firm No.

The crisis has deepened with Joseph refusing to agree to the compromise formula mooted by Jose. The refusal of the rival factions to budge from their respective positions has ratcheted up tension in the UDF camp.

A patch-up attempted by senior Congress leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala has failed to achieve a breakthrough so far.

What is causing sleepless nights to the Congress leadership is the tough stance taken by Joseph. The acting chairman of the KC(M) has warned of un pleasant decisions if the Congress fails to make Jose change his position.

The uncompromising stand taken by Joseph has to be viewed against the ‘offer’ made by CPI(M) State secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, to the KC(M). Any party from the UDF is welcome to join the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The only condition is that it should accept the policy of secularism. The tough stand of Joseph is being attributed to the overture from Kodiyeri.

With the spectre of a split in the KC(M) looming large, the Congress leadership is at its wit’s end on how to solve the problem.

The crisis is set to reach the flash point with the Joseph faction planning to move a no-confidence motion against Sebastian, the Jose faction loyalist who is the chief of the Kottayam district panchayat at present. The motion will succeed only if the Congress members in the district panchayat support it. The big question is: will the Congress leadership oblige Joseph? The party is damned if it backs the no-trust motion; and damned if it does not.

A split in the KC(M) is a luxury the UDF cannot afford at this juncture, with the local bodies elections scheduled to be held in October this year. The KC(M) is a force to reckon with in central Kerala. And, further weakening of the party will have a vital bearing on the chances of the Congress-led UDF wresting power from the LDF in the Assembly polls to be held next year. The LDF Government’s term is set to expire in May, 2021.

The coming days are crucial for the UDF leadership. If either of the faction breaks away from the UDF, it can deal a debilitating blow to the cohesion and stability of the UDF. Such a denouement will seriously impair the prospects of a comeback to power by the UDF in the State, one of the few states where the Congress is still a force to reckon with. (IPA Service)