PC Chacko, a senior Congress leader in Kerala who recently quit the party joined Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which is part of the CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Talking to the media on Tuesday in Delhi, PC Chacko said that he is formally joining the NCP, reported PTI. He also reportedly held discussions with Sitaram Yechurcy, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M).
It was last Wednesday that PC Chacko quit from Congress citing severe groupism in the party. In a press conference, an emotional PC Chacko had stated that he cannot continue in the party as one cannot merely exist as a Congress worker, and sustenance was possible only if one is part of groups within the party.
Chacko’s resignation was triggered by the candidate list released by the Congress for the upcoming Assembly polls in Kerala. He alleged that candidates are being chosen not based on merit or winnability but rather was based on demands by the two groups headed by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and by Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala. He had even alleged that even national leaders of the party were aware of the groupism in Congress in Kerala, but the High Command was supporting the groupsim.
“I had tried to correct the party, but it cannot be done. That is why I’m resigning,” Chacko had said.
Congress in Kerala is witnessing a lot of internal tussle as many in the party are dissatisfied with the candidate list. Recently, on Sunday, Lathika Subhash, chief of Kerala Pradesh Mahila Congress had resigned from the Congress and tonsured her head in protest for being denied seat to her. Many other district Congress committee leaders across the state have also resigned from the party due to difference of opinions over candidate selection.