The newly reconstituted Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has decided to crack the whip on indiscipline in the party. It has proposed a “disciplinary committee” to enforce the party line.
The KPCC that convened here on Monday stressed the need to curb combative statements and opinionated social media posts by party members.
The decision had the seal of approval of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). It was taken in the presence of KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran, Congress Working Committee member A.K. Antony, AICC general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Oommen Chandy, and Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala.
Mr. Venugopal informed the meeting that the AICC did not take kindly to public war of words and acidic comments that targeted leaders or cast aspersions on the party’s decision-making process.
‘Wrong impression’
Such verbal squabbles conveyed the wrong impression that the party was in a permanent state of revolt in Kerala.
Later at a press conference, Mr. Ramachandran countered criticism from within his own party that the KPCC had accommodated Mohan Sankar, who had contested on the BJP ticket from Kollam in the Lok Sabha elections, as a vice-president without due deliberations.
He said he “sympathised” with K. Muraleedharan, MP, for passing such a judgement on Mr. Mohan’s nomination process. He said the fact that Mr. Mohan hailed from the backward class Ezhava community and was the son of R. Sankar, the first Congress Chief Minister of Kerala, weighed politically in his favour.
The AICC had also resolved to give adequate representation to Dalits, backward castes and minorities in its official hierarchy. The KPCC had just followed the AICC’s directions. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi will lead a Congress “long march” against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Wayanad on January 30. The same day, the Congress will organise “human maps of India” against the law.
