Congress in Kerala fishing in troubled waters to woo ex-coalition partner

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress in Kerala seems to be trying to fish in troubled waters to bring back its ex-coalition partner Kerala Congress (Mani) back to the United Democratic Front (UDF).

After Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made insulting remarks against the regional party's lone Lok Sabha MP Thomas Chazhikkadan at a public meeting held as part of the ongoing mass outreach programme 'Nava Kerala Sadas', the Congress is demanding Vijayan to tender apology to the MP. Congress is also flaying that the Chief Minister did not make any mention about the pressing issues like rubber price even as KC(M) leadership took up the matter.

KC(M) has been a longtime coalition partner of the UDF. But it left the UDF in 2020 following differences with the Congress over its stand against party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani in the leadership struggle in the KC(M) following its founder leader K M Mani's death. KC(M) is now a coalition partner of the Left Democratic Front. KC(M) has considerable influence among the Christian vote banks of central Kerala. Hence the Congress wants to bring back the party to the UDF and Congress leaders had been occasionally sending feelers in this regard.

It was during the Nava Kerala Sadas meeting at KC(M)'s stronghold Pala in Kottayam that the Chief Minister made the insulting remarks against KC(M) MP Chazhikadan. Delivering the welcome address, Chazhikadan listed out the pressing needs of the people of Pala, which included the need to enhance support price of rubber to Rs. 250. KC(M) leader Jose K Mani also referred to the rubber price crisis in his presidential address.

But Vijayan said in his address that even as everyone knew that 'Nava Kerala Sadas' was not an event to receive complaints, the MP seemed to be unaware of it. The 'Nava Kerala Sadas' is aimed at holding discussions with the people on the development needs of the state as well as to convey the problems like centre's discrimination towards Kerala. The chief minister also did not make any mention about the crisis in rubber sector.

Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran said that the Vijayan who insulted KC(M) MP at the party's stronghold should tender an apology. KC(M) was insulted by the Vijaya at Pala from where the party founder K M Mani was elected to the assembly 13 times. He also asked whether the KC(M) was not even able to make any opinion in the LDF. It was LDF's assurance to raise the support price of rubber to Rs. 250, Sudhakaran said.

KC(M) leadership is yet to react to the Chief Minister's remarks even as there were reports that there was unrest in the party over Vijayan's remarks.