The Congress’ Central leadership has interfered in the dispute between Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader VD Satheesan as it apprehends that the infighting between the two top party leaders will break the hard-won organisational cohesion in Kerala ahead of the crucial by-election in Palakkad and Chelakkara assembly constituencies and Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and the local body elections in 2025.
The media reports about the growing rift between party state president K Sudhakaran and Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan has come as a blow to the AICC leadership’s hope of ending the infighting in the state unit and uniting the party to win the local body elections and the Assembly elections in 2026.
The Congress central leadership is keen to see that the conflict between the two leaders does not go out of hand. They fear that the infighting among the Congress leaders in the state will dampen the spirits of party workers stirred up by the Lok Sabha poll results.
In this circumstance, Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC General Secretary in- charge of Kerala is learnt to have asked the chairman of the KPCC disciplinary committee Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to ascertain individuals, who undermine party discipline by planting untrue reports about organisational matters in the media.
KPCC chief K Sudhakaran’s alleged attempt to leave out VD Satheesan from an online leadership meeting and his decision to cancel a circular Satheesan issued in his capacity as the Congress legislature party leader triggered the chain of events.
An annoyed Satheesan boycotted the Thiruvananthapuram District Executive meeting, which he was scheduled to preside over on Friday.
VD Satheesan has informed AICC leadership that he would not take over ‘Mission 2025′ without the high command’s intervention.
The Opposition leader expressed his strong protest for convening the online meeting of KPCC office-bearers without informing him.
Sudhakaran has gone to the UK to attend a few party programmes there and will be back only on August 4. Before leaving for the UK, Sudhakaran is learnt to have urged Deepa Dasmunshi to let Satheesan stop his intolerance so that he could resume his role as the state president.