Close on the heels of a vertical split in the Kerala Congress (M), another splinter group of the regional party Kerala Congress (Jacob) too has plunged into crisis with two of its key leaders locked up in a fierce battle.
The infighting within the party touched its boiling point on Thursday with party chairman Johnny Nellore publicly accusing its lone legislator Anoop Jacob of attempting to split and destroy the organisation. The statement came even as the two leaders called for separate meetings of the KC(Jacob) State committee in Kottayam on Friday.
According to party sources, Mr. Jacob is convening a meeting at the party State committee office to report a decision by the party high power committee to dismiss its proposed merger with the KC(M) group led by P.J. Joseph. Mr. Nellore, on the other hand, will be convening a high power committee meeting followed by a State committee, to push ahead with the merger plans.
“The meeting convened by Mr. Jacob is in direct violation of the provisions in the party constitution. His intention is to destroy the party and we are not ready to pay up for his selfish deeds,’’ Mr. Nellore said. He further added that the KC(Jacob) would be forced to initiate disciplinary action against Mr. Jacob in case of him organising a parallel meeting.
On the occasion, he claimed that majority of party workers were with him, especially in Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts where the KC(Jacob) enjoys popular support. “Two of the three vice presidents, the office-in-charge general secretary and eight district committees are with me. Ten out of the 12 Assembly committee presidents of the Ernakulam district committee too have extended their support, besides a majority of Alappuzha district committee members,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Jacob had claimed the support of 11 district committees and majority of State leaders.
Special Correspondent writes from Kochi: The Kerala Youth Front (Jacob) has said it supported the move by KC(Jacob) to merge with the P.J. Joseph faction of KC(M).
The executive committee members of the United Democratic Youth Front, the youth wing of the United Democratic Front, Joemon Kunnumpuram, Stelin Pullumkodum, Mathew Pullyattel Tharakan and the majority of the members of the State committee of the Youth Front supported the merger, a press release by Mr. Joemon and Stelin said here on Thursday.
