Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran has cracked the whip on combative statements and opinionated social media posts on organisational matters by party members.
His diktat had come in the wake of reports that there was disagreement within the All India Congress Committee (AICC) over the "lack of visible, full time and elected leadership."
At least 23 senior Congress leaders had demanded wide-ranging changes in the AICC. They reportedly included Shashi Tharoor, MP; and P.J. Kurien, former Deputy chairman, Rajya Sabha.
The Congress had called for a halt on public discussions regarding the "letter of dissent." The party appeared to have sensed that attempts to portray the demands made by the so-called "reformists" as "mutinous" might further deepen the fissures in the Congress.
The party had issued a direction to State units to desist from tit-for-tat statements and accusations. The Congress did not want the "letter" to be portrayed as a rebellion against the current leadership.
In Kerala, the rumblings of disagreement that reportedly convulsed the AICC manifested as what appeared to be targeted attacks against Mr. Tharoor from within the fold of the Congress. Mr. Kurien was largely spared off criticism.
Kodikunnil Suresh and K. Muraleedharan, both MPs, appeared to suggest that Mr. Tharoor existed in a state of privileged exclusion far removed from the party at the grassroots-level. The two leaders, later, withdrew their comments at the instance of the KPCC.
Mr. Tharoor himself has remained silent about the matter. But, UDF convener Benny Behanan, MP; and V.D. Satheeshan and Roji M. John, MLAs; came out openly against the tendency to single out Mr. Tharoor for the attack.
However, some leaders said the signatories to the letter might face criticism on the charge of having handed over a propaganda victory to political detractors who have tried to portray the Congress as an organisation in disarray.
