Congress fails to redeem itself

Thiruvananthapuram:  Political factions in the Kerala unit of the Congress are continuing their pressure tactics to retain their grip on the party.

In this process, they ignore reasons for the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections and steps needed to redeem the party from the abyss it has fallen into.

The primary reason for the debacle of the party in the elections was corruption. Organisational failures come only second. The Cabinet had resorted to decision making that smacked of corruption even days before the elections.

It can be argued that public debate brought about by KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran contributed to the defeat. However, it can also be contended that Congress would have done better if tainted ministers were kept away contesting the elections.

The results anyway proved that the people did not tolerate corruption. So, naturally the Cabinet ministers who were responsible for the decisions should be side-lined if the Congress is to make a revival in the State. It is notable that Ramesh Chennithala, who was chosen as Opposition Leader, soon found himself on the defensive over issues related to Haripad Medical College which was promoted as a private public participation model.

If Congress is to come back to power, it had to improve its image or the new government should mess up matters. Any party worth its name should be doing the former instead of waiting for the latter to happen. However, the kind of bargaining taking place in the party does not abode well for it.

The ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups in the party are now demanding removal of the KPCC president who is not tainted by corruption. Clearly, the objective is to gain control of the State unit rather than to improve the party’s image. As a bargaining point Oommen Chandy is refusing to take up the position of chairman of the UDF. The suggestion is that Mr. Sudheeran too should step down like him owning responsibility for the electoral debacle. Then, Mr. Chandy can at least do the back seat driving of the party.

As dominant groups in the party, the Congress high command could not ignore the two groups. However, giving control of the party to those who led the party astray would be suicidal. However, there are no clear alternatives for leadership. Though it has been suggested that there should be a generational change, this may not solve the problem.

It is notable that the youngsters who became legislators such P. C. Vishnunath and Hibi Eden could not themselves stay above suspicion. So, the party will have to look for proven leaders with integrity and experience. The problem is that there are not many around.