Kerala Congress attempts to pacify disgruntled senior leaders

In a bid to pacify senior Congress leaders in Kerala Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala, leader of opposition V D Satheesan called on the two and held talks.

Both the senior leaders, who had been the decision makers of Congress in Kerala for several years, had expressed their displeasure in the open for not being consulted while finalising the new district committee leaders of the party by the new state leadership comprising of Satheesan and well as Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran.

Both Sudhakaran and Satheesan were made the state leaders by the national leadership following the setback suffered by Congress in Kerala Assembly polls for the second consecutive time.

Satheesan called on Chandy and Chennithala at their residence to earn their confidence and support and both leaders later told reporters that despite the differences they would stand united for the Congress. “Congress party is the primary factor and groupism is secondary only,” Chandy said after the meeting, while Satheesan said that Chandy and Chennithala were those who should guide state leaders.

Meanwhile, there were also reports that some Congress leaders in the state petitioned the party's national leadership that Chandy and Chennithala were trying to trigger a revolt. The national leadership had already conveyed support to the new state leadership in its attempts to revamp the party by not succumbing to interests of group leaders - mainly Chandy and Chennithala.

Satheesan’s efforts to pacify the senior leaders also came close on the heels of the Congress-led United Democratic Front set to meet this week. Some coalition partners in the UDF had expressed resentment over the revolt in the Congress and gave indications of leaving the front.