Trouble continues to brew in Congress in Kerala. Senior leader and former President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KM) VM Sudheeran has reportedly quit the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party. The 73-year-old leader sent in his resignation to the new state president K Sudhakaran, IANS reported. When TNM contacted Sudheeran, he said that he will not be speaking to the media. The PAC comprising top leaders is the highest decision-making body of the state unit of Congress.
The reason for quitting, according to sources close to him, is because Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan are not taking him into confidence. Sudheeran is a former legislator, MP, minister and speaker. Ever since the Sudhakaran-Satheesan team took over with the full blessings of the party high command, they have reportedly ignored the traditional factions of Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala.
The new leadership have reportedly not taken into confidence the previous power centres of that party Oommen Chandy and Chennithala in selecting presidents of the District Pradesh Congress Committees. Sudheeran quitting the PAC has come at a time when the AICC General Secretary in-charge of Kerala Tariq Anwar is reaching Thiruvananthapuram to finalise the 51-member organisational structure of the party.
Of late, the state unit of the Congress party has continued to receive rude jolts owing to differences which were triggered by the DCC presidents' selection. Two top state party general secretaries - KP Anil Kumar and Rathi Kumar quit the party and joined the CPI(M).
Working President of the Kerala unit of the Congress PT Thomas, also a senior legislator, said he is confident that things will be resolved. "Sudhakaran had called on Sudheeran and had a discussion with him. We are sure that the leadership of the party will resolve issues and will move forward smoothly," said Thomas.
With IANS inputs