Chandy-Chennithala clash will ruin Congress
Factionalism in the Kerala unit of the Congress is going from bad to worse, seriously jeopardising the party's prospects in the coming lok Sabha election. While turf wars within the party in the State are not new, the latest round of confrontation involving Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and State party president Ramesh Chennithala has the potential to spin out of control. This is the reason why Union Minister for Defence AK Antony, who has cut his political teeth in the State, is poised to intervene on behalf of the party high command and restore a semblance of unity. Mr Antony has so far been reluctant — and understandably so, given the mess that the local leaders have created, despite being in Government in this southern State — to intervene in the crisis. The problem is that, while he is certainly considered a respected figure by State leaders cutting across factional lines, he could end up displeasing one side or the other in a bid to enforce truce. His optimism that both the Chief Minister and Mr Chennithala will be able to resolve their differences in a “silent manner” does not appear to be matched by the ground reality. For one, there is nothing ‘silent' about the dispute; open and vocal bickering from the sides led by the two leaders has become the norm. Also, the distrust between Mr Chandy and his State party chief is so deep that it is unlikely to vapourise any time soon. It can wane a bit, though, if Mr Chennithala is inducted into the Cabinet. It must be remembered that Mr Chennithala's entry into the Cabinet had become all but certain some days ago. Yet, obstacles appeared, leading observers to believe that the Chief Minister is not too keen to oblige the aspirant. Moreover, supporters of the party president have been insistent that Mr Chennithala be given a weighty portfolio, preferably Home, and accorded the status of Deputy Chief Minister. This has not gone down well with Mr Chandy's camp followers who believe that the party chief is seeking to create a rival camp within the Government by snatching away the Home department from a Minister who is considered close to the Chief Minister. Yet, Mr Chandy cannot avoid Mr Chennithala's induction for long if he desires to concentrate his energies on governance rather than on managing internecine rivalries.
The snowballing quarrel has naturally upset the Congress's allies in the State like the Muslim league, the Kerala Congress(Jacob) and the Kerala Congress(M), who see in the developments the potential to disrupt their respective prospects in a crisis-ridden United Democratic Front — which is what the Congress-led coalition in the State is called. All of them, as also the Congress, cannot be oblivious of the fact that the left Front is breathing down their necks; remember, the Congress had only just managed to edge out the left in the last Assembly election. The only good news for the troubled party is that the left Front too, primarily the CPI(M), is enmeshed in factional wars.