Faction feuds in Congress in Kerala turn fratricidal

@the_news_21

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress in Kerala is on a slippery slope with the inexorable factionalism assuming fratricidal dimensions. Squabbles setting the party adrift have become far too rough where the conventional wisdom that group wars are part of the Congress’s internal dynamics anywhere any time no longer holds.

What makes the ongoing feuds lethal from the past skirmishes is that this time around it is not a straight fight for power and pelf by any two strong leaders.  The arena is rather littered with petty warlords, cheered by personal camp followers, taking on each other with an insatiable death wish. The centre seems to have lost its hold as the party falls apart in the politically hyper-active southern state.

Congress in Kerala has not learnt any lessons from the back-to-back defeats it suffered in the 2016 and 2021 assembly polls, at the hands of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). In between,  the party, and the United Democratic Front (UDF) leads, made a splendid performance by cornering 19 out of the 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.  The sterling victory, however, proved to be ephemeral with the UDF sordidly going down in the civic polls, held ahead of the assembly elections.

The electoral reversals led to a leadership change at the top.  Heads rolled with senior legislator V D Satheesan replacing the failed chief minister aspirant Ramesh Chennithalaas a leader in the state assembly and redoubtable K Sudhakaran taking over as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president from mild-mannered Mullapally Ramachandran. The changes were effected entirely by the high command. In the process, the old warhorse and former chief minister Oommen Chandy was completely sidelined.

The changes in the key leadership positions brought some hope of the party making some sincere attempt to regain the lost ground. But this proved to be a pious wish with disgruntled functionaries openly challenging the new bosses. Sane voices in the organization suggesting that Sudhkaran and Satheesan be given a grace time to act fell on the deaf ears.

The organisational overhaul remains incomplete, with senior leaders continuing to lobby for their loyalists to be installed as office-bearers in various tiers. The air is pungent with acrimony as dissenters, who include Chandy and Chennithala, keep on taking potshots. Some of them have made veiled digs at AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, who hails from Kerala and basks himself in the image of the pointsman of the high command.

What is more surprising is the silence of A K Antony, the senior-most Congress leader from Kerala and an all-weather confidante of the Gandhi family. The octogenarian leader seems to be least bothered about the sordid situation in his home unit. A past master of factional plays, he appears to have chosen a wait-and-watch policy, instead of rushing to bring a little order in the state set-up.

Also Read: Congress thorn in CPI (M) flesh

The unending turmoil in Congress has come seriously on its way to acting as an effective opposition to the LDF Government. The party has failed to take the government head on over burning issues like its obstinate refusal to slash the duty accruing to the states kitty from the repeated hike in prices of petrol and diesel.

After the rout in the assembly polls, the party has made no earnest attempt to introspect the factors that contributed to its dismal performance. Its UDF partners, especially the key ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), have voiced serious concern over the chaos in the Congress.

Kerala and Karnataka are the two South Indian states where Congress still is a central player. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana its position is precarious.

If the party leaders in Kerala fail to see the writing on the wall and mend their ways, Congress will have to pay a heavy price in the 2024 parliament elections. Kerala is so crucial in Congress’s national scheme as the state accounts for the largest single contingent of MPs in the Lok Sabha,  which includes  Rahul Gandhi who represents the Wayanad seat. Two years is a long long period in politics, where even a week can reverse fortunes. However, if the prevailing mood persists it will be well nigh impossible for the party to notch up the numbers in the 2024 elections.