Malayalam newspaper Veekshanam, the mouthpiece of the Congress party issued a sharp rebuke to Congress leaders in its editorial over their unruly behaviour during the inauguration of the Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC). The newspaper criticised the party’s leadership for prioritising media visibility over discipline and decorum.
The incident in question occurred during the official launch of the Kozhikode DCC office, where several Congress leaders were seen jostling to position themselves prominently, seemingly to ensure their images would appear in the following day’s newspapers.
In a strongly worded editorial titled “Leadership should not be about elbowing into the frame”, Veekshanam condemned the act as indecent and warned that such behaviour could tarnish the image of the party.
“A party like Congress should not lose its value by simply wanting to show their faces in front of the camera,” the editorial stated, adding that the reputation of the movement “should not be tarnished, undermined, or defamed.”
The editorial went on to urge discipline and protocol in party events. “A mass party is a democratic expanse. It should not be a loose state,” it read.
The editorial concluded by calling on Congress leaders to recognise the damage such actions cause to the party’s public image. It cautioned them not to let people down at a time when the party is striving to position itself as an alternative to what it described as a corrupt government. “The Congress leaders should recognize the humiliation caused to the party while pushing and shoving to get their face on camera and not let the people down while waiting to oust the corrupt government,” the editorial noted.
Following the backlash, senior Congress leader K. Muralidharan acknowledged the chaos, stating, “What happened during Kozhikode DCC inauguration was unpleasant and should not be repeated.”