THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Groupism in the state unit of the Congress, which had been brewing in recent weeks, has intensified following the statements of some prominent party leaders in recent days. This is despite Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala playing it safe on the issue.The latest in the spat between leaders is over the delay in taking action against those who had been mentioned as guilty by the Vakkom committee for the debacle of Congress contestants in some segments in the last Assembly polls and the ‘poster controversy’ involving K Sudhakaran MP and the Kannur police. The stance of P C Chacko MP that no action was needed at this juncture on the Vakkom panel report and also describing the party state executive as a motley crowd has revived old rivalries in the Congress. Former Minister K P Viswanathan has termed the MP’s stance as tantamount to promoting indiscipline. Reacting to the developments, Ramesh Chennithala underscored that definite action will be taken on the panel report.“That doesn’t mean that all the recommendations will be accepted. It is not against two or three persons. It has to be evaluated in toto and long-term measures will have to be worked out,’’ he said, without setting any deadline for taking action. “The recently-held KPCC executive meet has empowered the president and me to take suitable action on the Vakkom report,’’ Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.Poster Issue Fuels RowThe unique Kannur brand politics caught up with the Congress with the appearance of a poster depicting K Sudhakaran MP as a champion of the cause of police. The posters were removed on the orders of Kannur SP Anoop Kuruvilla John, which was alleged by the broad ‘I’ group to be the result of a gameplan of ‘A’ group leaders. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy stood by the action of the police and said that functioning of the Police Association was guided by a set of rules and anyone who violated it will face action. He recalled an incident when he was chief minister, to buttress his stand. ‘’A cop had pasted a poster hailing Oommen Chandy, not the chief minister, at Changanasserry. He was suspended,’’ Chandy told mediapersons.Union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran has also come out in support of the district police chief and described him as an efficient young officer. Union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi the other day had urged the Chief Minister the other day to take steps to ensure that the police to behaved decently with public men. Kannur DCC chief Sunny Joseph MLA viewed the action as one without any good intention. He had also a dig at Mullapally Ramachandran, whose stance in party affairs is widely regarded as neutral. ‘’If the Kannur police chief is such an efficient person, he should be taken to the Centre for a higher posting,’’ he quipped. K Sudhakaran MP has taken the ‘poster controversy’ as an insult to him. “All Congressmen in Kannur above group politics are united in their grouse that cops are ill-treating them. The district police chief may be good at his work,’’ he said. “While quoting rules and norms on the removal of the posters, it is applicable to the Chief Minister also, whose posters put up by the Police Association is still seen across the state,’’ he added.
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