Senior Congress leader, from Kerala, Oommen Chandy met Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on June 25, Friday, and expressed his displeasure at the manner in which recent leadership changes had been brought about in the party in Kerala. Chandy's visit to Delhi came days after the high command appointed VD Satheesan as Leader of Opposition and K Sudhakaran as the President of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), after the severe drubbing the party-led United Democratic Front received in the April 6 Assembly polls in the state.
Former Leader of the Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala, was also called to Delhi by Rahul Gandhi earlier. The meeting with Rahul Gandhi comes amid reports that Chandy and Chennithala were reportedly miffed with the decisions taken in the change in party leadership in the state, and that the interests of their respective factions being ignored.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with the former Congress president and Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, Chandy said after the recent reorganisation in the party in Kerala, he had come to Delhi to express "our sentiments to the leadership" and maintained that there was no difference of opinion with regard to the decisions.
"Everyone is prepared to accept the decisions of the High Command and everyone is bound to do so. But the manner in which they were implemented, there was some displeasure,” the former Chief Minister said. He added he was fully satisfied with the outcome after the talk with Rahul Gandhi.
On June 18, after his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, Ramesh Chennithala had said that he was satisfied with how the meeting went. Though he confessed to the media that Oommen Chandy and himself had concerns about the Parliamentary party election, they will always stand by what Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi decide for the Congress.
Chennithala had also discussed with Rahul Gandhi the reason for UDF’s failure in the Assembly polls. Reports had also stated that Chennithala was likely to be made Congress’s General Secretary. However, Chennithala did not confirm this when asked.
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