Thrikkakara win triggers credit war in Cong.
The Hindu
A section sees Satheesan as the architect of victory, while others say it was a collective effort
A conflict is reportedly brewing in the Congress over who should be credited with masterminding the Thrikkakara Assembly byelection victory.
Some sections had portrayed Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan as the architect of the win. Thrikkakara had boosted the flagging fortunes of the Congress after losing two straight Assembly elections and coming a distant second in the local body polls.
A billboard campaign had hailed Mr. Satheesan as the "new leader" in the making. In traditional Congress circles, "leader" refers solely to the late Chief Minister K. Karunakaran.
However, there seemed to be some resentment in the Congress over using the "haloed designation" to lionise and fete Mr. Satheesan as the sole draughtsman of the byelection win.
The bid to glorify Mr. Satheesan drew paeans of praise and darts of toxic criticism on social media.
A Youth Congress functionary penned a lyric on social media mocking the move to elevate any single person as a leader.
K. Muraleedharan, MP, said Thrikkakara was no one person’s triumph. “Collective will and effort had scripted the hard-fought victory,” he said without stating who he targetted.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.