Shashi Tharoor’s move to contest for Congress chief post brews resentment in Kerala

Amidst moves by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to contest for the post of party president, Congress leaders in his home state Kerala openly expressed their resentment about it.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee might even pass a resolution backing either Rahul Gandhi, or Sonia Gandhi’s choice of presidential candidate.

Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and K Muraleedharan said that the encouragement for the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala itself shows the support being enjoyed by the Nehru scion, and hence they personally prefer that Rahul Gandhi should become the party president.

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Chennithala said that the general mood was in favour of Rahul Gandhi. “Lakhs of people are participating in Bharat Jodo Yatra. It shows the support to Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

Muraleedharan said that the Congress in Kerala would only back a leader acceptable to the Nehru family. The huge response being received by the Bharat Jodo Yatra was due to the leadership of the Nehru scion. “We wish that Rahul himself becomes the president. Anyway, our vote is for the Nehru family,” he said.

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Meanwhile, sources said that there was also pressure on Congress state leadership to pass a resolution backing Rahul Gandhi as the party president, like many other states.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which was in Alappuzha district, will enter Ernakulam on Wednesday. The Yatra will be in Kerala till September 29. In between, there will be a break on September 23. Party state leaders are likely to hold discussions on passing the resolution then.

KPCC president K Sudhakaran had recently said in an interview to a Malayalam news channel that if Tharoor contested for the Congress presidency, the party cadres would be asked to vote as per their conscience.

Sudhakaran, however, later explained that his comment was misinterpreted.