Different factions of the Kerala Congress (KC) on Friday held separate functions to mark the 56th formation day of the party.
Inaugurating the celebrations organised by the Mani group, party leader Jose K. Mani, MP, said a final decision on the party's entry into a coalition would be taken in a few days. The forthcoming local body elections would be a setback for those who had tried to dismantle the Kerala Congress, an integral part of Kerala politics for more than five decades.
A steering committee meeting of the party, which was convened online, decided to raise various farmer-related issues before the State government for its immediate consideration. Marking the official launch of a green initiative, Mr. Mani planted a sapling at the party head quarters in Kottayam.
The Joseph group, on the other hand, organised a separate function at a private hotel in Kottayam to celebrate the occasion. Inaugurating the event, party leader P.J. Joseph, MLA, accused Mr. Mani of being treacherous and said the Mani faction had been unable to ensure a berth in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) depsite repeated attempts.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Congress (Jacob) faction convened a meeting of its high power committee in Kottayam. Inaugurating the meeting, party leader Anoop Jacob, MLA, launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the Life Mission scam. The meeting decided to organise dharnas in front of government offices and in all constituency headquarters on Wednesday demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister.
In a separate event, Kerala Congress (Democratic) leader K.C. Joseph inaugurated a meeting of the party. The meeting resolved to fight against the move to destabilise the LDF-led government.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Congress faction led by P.C. Thomas observed the formation day of the party as anti-corruption day. A meeting of the party secretariat was convened via online.
