THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fierce internal crisis is gripping the Congress in Kerala, with senior leaders issuing a stark ultimatum: the party must decide whether it wants to aim for governance or continue to entertain the controversial politics of a section of leaders, specifically citing the behaviour of Rahul. Leaders are demanding the swift expulsion of Rahul, stating that merely suspending him is no longer sufficient given the gravity of the situation.
A powerful faction warns that if the party attempts to whitewash the issue or protects the individual concerned, the Congress may inadvertently pave the way for Pinarayi Vijayan to assume the Chief Minister’s office for a third term just four months from now.
Maturity Questions and Nilambur Precedent
Critics argue that Rahul has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of political maturity. This point is illustrated by an incident in Nilambur where, after the UDF decided to exclude Anwar, Rahul bypassed the collective decision to hold a secret, late-night discussion at Anwar’s residence—an act that was caught and exposed, proving his political immaturity, according to the sources.
At the time, Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan’s firm stance to exclude Anwar faced strong internal criticism from a group of Congress leaders. However, election results later vindicated Satheesan’s decision.
A similar dynamic is playing out now regarding the current controversy. Satheesan’s strong position against the contentious actions of Rahul was only consistently supported by Ramesh Chennithala and K. Muraleedharan. The rest of the leadership adopted a non-committal or “wishy-washy” approach. It is this lack of decisive action that is fueling public criticism against the Congress party today. Despite attempts by some leaders to hijack the KPCC President’s authority and publicly support Rahul, Satheesan remained firm in his position, and his stand is now being grudgingly accepted as correct even by his internal critics.
