RS seat: Chandy says he welcomes Kurien's move to approach bosses

AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy, who has been criticised for giving up a Congress Rajya Sabha seat to the Kerala Congress (M), today said he welcomed senior leader P J Kurien's move to approach the party high command against him over the issue.

"It's a good decision. Kurien will get the correct information because the Congress president knows everything," Chandy told reporters here, a day after Kurien threatened to complain about Chandy to the top leadership.

It was widely expected the Congress would put up its own candidate for the seat, currently held by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Kurien, who is set to retire on July 1.

But in an unexpected move, the RS seat was offered to the KC(M), paving the way for the party's return to the United Democratic Front (UDF).

Reiterating his charges against the former Kerala chief minister, Kurien had said yesterday he would inform the Congress high command about Chandy's alleged personal agenda against him.

"Chandy's personal agenda has ultimately cost a Rajya Sabha seat to the party," Kurien had said at his residence in Thiruvalla.

The party has been witnessing unprecedented protests from within the ranks, with a section accusing Chandy, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President M M Hassan of taking a "unilateral decision" on the issue.

While party workers and leaders including former minister V M Sudheeran have alleged that Chandy and the others had "surrendered the party's seat and pride" before the KC(M), the senior leaders maintained it was a "one-time settlement" to strengthen the party-led UDF ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Attacking the state party leadership, especially Chandy, Sudheeran had yesterday said party workers felt they had been cheated.

The senior leader had also alleged that the decision lacked transparency.

Two young Congress MLAs,V T Balaram and K S Sabarinathan, who were among those who asked Gandhi to reconsider the decision, again expressed their displeasure over the matter.