Top Congress Leaders Reach Out To Warring Factions In Party's Kerala Unit

Reaching out to the warring leaders, Congress' Kerala in-charge Tariq Anwar described Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala as the "pillars of the party" in Kerala.

Amid growing discontent in the Kerala Congress over the selection of District Congress Committee (DCC) chiefs, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reminded the state leaders of the spirit of "collective leadership" even as the party strived to appease protesting veterans, including Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala. "Over the years, Congress in Kerala has set a stellar example of collective leadership. This collective spirit reflects the true ethos of the Congress party," Rahul Gandhi said at a function organised virtually on the occasion of the inauguration of the Kannur District Congress Committee office. Although Rahul Gandhi did not refer to the organisational issues in Kerala, his statement assumes significance in view of the rising discontentment in the state leadership following the announcement of 14 DCC presidents allegedly ignoring the sentiments of Mr Chandy and Mr Chennithala. The two leaders, who controlled Kerala Congress for 18 years, had come out openly against the way DCC presidents were selected by new leaders of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), including its president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, VD Satheesan.