As Congress leader K Sudhakaran on Wednesday took charge as the new president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), several party leaders called for strengthening the party at the grassroots level and lamented over the infighting within the party.
With hundreds of party workers and local leaders gathering at the Indira Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram for the new president's taking over function, the local police registered a case for flouting Covid-19 norms.
While Sudhakaran reiterated in his address that Congress could bounce back to success if all leaders stood united, Ramesh Chennithala, who was removed from the leader of opposition post, said that all those who pretended to support him did not support at the time of crisis.
Referring to the allegations that Sudhakaran was a pro-BJP, Chennithala said that he would be responding against it because he was upset as no party leaders supported him when similar allegations were raised against him.
Also read: Sudhakaran assumes charge as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief
Sudhakaran alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retained power in Kerala with the support of RSS only. It was owing to the fear of Congress coming back strongly that the CPM cadres were making baseless allegations of BJP-RSS links, he said.
Sudhakaran, who is a Lok Sabha MP and a firebrand leader from Kannur district, is likely to initiate a total shake up in Congress's organisational structure in Kerala, beginning with downsizing of jumbo committees.
He has replaced Mullappally Ramachandran as Kerala PCC president.