An important sequel to the DCC reorganisation has been the clear message to Chandy and Chennithala that groupism which they had sedulously fostered and perpetuated will no longer be tolerated. The days when the duo used to share the spoils of office on a 50:50 basis are over.

The writing on the wall is clear. The quick disciplinary action against senior party leaders K. Sivadasan Nair and K. P. Anil Kumar shows the resolve of the State leadership not to tolerate indiscipline any more. The two leaders have been placed under suspension for their open criticism of the reorganization of the DCCs. What is significant to note is that the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K. Sudhakaran and leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan have the full support of the Congress High Command. In another development, the KPCC chief has expelled Congress leader P S Prasanth, a close confidant of Oommen Chandy, from the party. The strong action follows Prasanth’s criticism of the appointment of Palod Ravi as the new Thiruvananthapuram DCC president.

Even more noteworthy is the sarcastic comment by senior party leader and Kasaragod MP, RajmohanUnnithan that OommenChandy and Ramesh Chennithala can form their own party if they want only their nominees as the presidents of all the 14 district Congress committees! Such open criticism of Chandy and Chennithala is unheard of in the party, and shows that the equations in the State party have undergone a sea-change. Unnithan said that Chandy and Chennithala controlled the State Congreass for 18 years. During these 18 years, only their writ ran in the party. They decided the district presidents and other office-bearers. No one could become even the mandalam president without their consent. “And we all accepted their decisions,” Unnithan pointed out. “Now the Congress has a new president in K Sudhakaran and leader of the Opposition in VD Satheesdan. Let Chandy and Chennithala accept the decision of the new leadership.”

They should learn from AK Antony who never intervened or commented on the decisions taken by them after he left the state politics for a role in the national politics. Unnithan also opined that party workers do not want groups. The Congress can dislodge the Modi Government at the Centre and the Pinarayi Government in Kerala only if the loyalty of the leaders lied with the party and not the groups,” Unnithan said. Expectedly, detractors of Unnithan have reacted sharply to his outburst. Twenty-three leaders have demanded disciplinary action against him.

It is to be noted that so far, the state leadership has acted only against the supporters of Chandy and Chennithala. But the message beamed by the disciplinary action is loud and clear. Chandy and Chennithala will be ignoring the signals only at their own peril. Significantly, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Tariq Anwar has asked the KPCC chief to hand over the list of leaders who openly criticize the new DCC presidents’ appointment.

In yet another development, former MLA A V Gopinath has resigned from the primary membership of the Congress in the wake of the release of the list of new DCC presidents. Gopinath, a former Palakkad DCC chief and an important leader from the district, said he was ending his 50-year association with the party. His reason: senior Congress leaders have let him down time and again. Although Gopinath said he would not join any other party, he praised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, triggering speculation that he is set to join the CPI(M). Gopinath, it may be mentioned, had revolted in the run-up to the assembly elections. But the KPCC chief intervened and managed to pacify him. His exit is, undoubtedly, a big setback for the party in Palakkad district.

Chandy and Chennithala have upped the ante by accusing the new state party leadership of not having adequate consultations with them before finalizing the DCC chiefs’ list. The list features only five supporters of Chandy and three Chennithala loyalists. But Chandy is upset because his first choices had been rejected in most of the districts. Likewise, only Babu Prasad, the new Alappuzha DCC president, can be considered as a staunch Chennithala loyalist. Nattakom Suresh, new Kottayam DCC president, is a Chandy aide. But he was not Chandy’s first choice. Moreover, Chandy’s recommendation that CP Mathew be made the new Idukki district chief came as a surprise as Mathew is a known Chennithala supporter!

Chandy and Chennithala are also peeved not only at the effort to marginalize them in the party. The duo are worried over the emergence of a new ‘group’ in the party lead by AICC general secretary in charge of party organization, KC Venugopal. The other members belonging to this ‘group’ are K Sudhakaran and VD Satheesan. Sudhakaran has reacted strongly to the criticism of Chandy and Chennithala. Those who criticize him for failing to consult them should remember that they themselves never consulted anybody when they were running the party like their personal fiefdom, he said..

There is another reason why Chandy and Chennithala should be worried. A number of their loyalists are now trying to be close to the new leadership. Among them are Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil, A Vincent and T. Siddique. The trio had lent their support to VD Satheesan when he was named the new leader of the opposition. This has not been to the liking of both Chandy and Chennithala. As if this was not enough, a staunch Chandy loyalist, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, has disagreed with Chandy. His statement that the Congress High Command’s decision should be welcomed by one and all has come as a shock to Chandy. Similarly, Chennitaha’s strong supporter, Sooranad Rajasekharan, has also identified himself with the sentiments expressed by Radhakrishnan, giving a rude jolt to Chennithala.

This being the ground reality, both Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala must come to terms with the changed equations in the party. Any attempt to foment trouble will only create more problems for them. The High Command is in no mood to placate group leaders and tolerate groupism. Even more important, the party’s rank and file is also fed up with the shenanigans of Chandy and Chennithala. Last but not the least, neither Chandy or Chennithala is getting any younger. Chandy is no more in a position to create problems given his health. Wisdom lies in reconciling themselves to the new situation. Failure to do so would cause the duo to be cast into the dustbin of irrelevance. (IPA Service)