The race for Kerala’s chief minister’s throne is still on, a week after the results were announced last Monday, with no light at the end of the tunnel yet in sight and the United Democratic Front’s allies in Congress growing impatient.
The suspense continues with the party high command yet to announce its decision, amidst hectic lobbying by the three top contenders – V D Sathisan, Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal.
The BJP also attacked the grand old party over the delay, as did Congress supporters. But this rebuke by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) would upset the party the most.
The IUML, a major component of the Congress-led UDF party which has 22 seats, on Monday expressed strong displeasure over the delay in identifying Kerala’s next chief minister, warning that the prolonged uncertainty could have political repercussions.
“The decision has already been postponed. If it is extended further, there will be repercussions. We hope the AICC leadership will realize this,” IUML Malappuram district general secretary P Abdul Hamid told reporters.
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He said people across the state were wondering about the delay and claimed that even women voters from the district had approached party leaders to ask why they were being forced to vote for the United Democratic Front.
“There is resentment everywhere. People just raise this issue wherever we go, including at weddings and funerals,” he said.
This comes as the Kerala Chief Minister’s post has three main contenders from the Congress: Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheeshan; Party General Secretary KC Venugopal; and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The IUML leader said the association conveyed its views on the chief ministerial candidate to the Congress leadership and expressed confidence that the Congress would take the ally’s opinion seriously.
Sarcastic BJP
The BJP was not late in attacking the Congress over the delay in announcing the Chief Minister of Kerala, even though the saffron party managed to win only three seats.
The BJP MLA-elect from Kazhakoottam, V Muraleedharan, on Monday alleged that the Congress was focusing more on power than on public welfare.
Speaking to ANI, Muralidharan said that despite getting a huge mandate, the Congress failed to reach a unanimous decision on the leadership, which, according to him, reflects the party’s disregard for the people of the state.
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The Congress-led United Democratic Front won 102 of the total 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly, while the outgoing Liberal Democratic Front won 35 seats.
“It shows that the Congress does not care about the people of the state. Even after getting a broad mandate, the Congress could not come up with a unanimous name. It shows that the Congress members are after power, not for the people. The Congress leadership at the national and state levels does not care about the people of Kerala. It is a huge act of disrespect towards the people of the state. The Congress should apologize to the people of Kerala for creating such a situation. They will not be able to take decisions on many things. I am sure that it will not take more than a year for the government to get the people out,” said Muralidharan. “against them.”
The BJP leader also claimed that the Congress will not be able to rule independently, as the government’s agenda will be driven by the AIML.
“Congress will not be able to rule the country based on its decisions because the agenda will be determined by the Muslim League,” he said.
Congress is responding
Any decision taken by the party high command regarding the key ministerial post in Kerala will be accepted by all Congress and United Democratic Front workers in the state, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said on Monday.
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Chennithala is one of the top three candidates for the post, while VD Sateeshan and KC Venugopal make up the other two.
“We have conveyed everything we have to say to the high command. They have heard everything. The rest is for them to decide,” Chennithala told reporters here after his return from New Delhi.
He said the delay in making a decision is part of the democratic procedure.
Whatever decision the party high command takes regarding the key ministerial post in Kerala, it will be accepted by all Congress and United Democratic Front workers in the state, he added.
