The vocal statements made by former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran, extolling KC Venugopal, the party’s general secretary (organisation), and inviting the latter to lead the party in the state, have once again raised the possibility of internal rumblings over the choices for the chief minister’s post, and invited tough comments from several party leaders.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Sudhakaran lauded Venugopal’s organizational and leadership skills, stressing the need for the latter to become more active in state politics. He said Venugopal was following in the footsteps of party veterans like K Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy in building the organisation, and had practically stopped short of selecting him as his favorite for the chief minister’s post.
Alongside a picture of Sudhakaran and Venugopal hugging each other, the Kannur MP wrote: “In the recent elections, Venugopal served as the driving force behind the party’s attempts to achieve victory and instilled confidence in workers from across the state. It is a testimony to the organizational prowess of the leader.”
Like Karunakaran, Chandy, Vaylar Ravi and AK Antony, Kerala needs a leader with a long-term vision and Venugopal belongs to the same kind of politics, Sudhakaran said. He added that the AICC General Secretary had climbed the ladder of the organization from the bottom rung and could therefore relate to the sentiments of ordinary party workers.
“I hope KC Venugopal emerges as a leader who can give a sense of direction to the Congress and United Democratic Front leadership and inspire the people of the state in future administrations. I await with hope such leadership,” Sudhakaran wrote.
By allegedly endorsing Venugopal as the next Congress chief minister if the United Democratic Front wins the Assembly elections, Sudhakaran has broken the central leadership’s diktat on maintaining silence on the top post. Incidentally, two weeks ago in a television interview, Sudhakaran named Ramesh Chennithala as his personal choice for the post of Chief Minister.
His remarks prompted senior party leaders, including Venugopal, to come out and condemn such discussions ahead of the election results.
“Let the results come out on May 4. We strongly believe that the public has given a mandate in favor of the United Democratic Front. Congress has a system and the leadership will decide collectively. There is no need to hold public discussions (on the chief minister’s post) till then,” Venugopal told reporters in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Venugopal did not explicitly condemn Sudhakaran’s statements.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph said senior leaders should not attack the post of chief minister and asked them to leave the matter to the central leadership.
“We have a clear position and set of procedures. The elected army officers will be consulted by a group of observers sent by the Central Command. The Supreme Command will then announce a name that will be binding on everyone,” he said.
Veteran leader KC Joseph, in a sarcastic comment on internal factions, said it was better not to write a horoscope about an unborn child.
“Why is there such intolerance and impatience? There are well-established ways within Congress to choose the prime minister’s face. Every leader must understand that when one lies on his back and spits, the spit will fall on his face,” Joseph said.
If the United Democratic Front wins, outgoing opposition leader V D Sathisan and senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Venugopal are among the top contenders for the chief minister’s post.
