Congress leaders and workers in Kerala stand “solidly” behind party chief Sonia Gandhi and former party president Rahul Gandhi, said senior party leaders in the State.
“For party workers and leaders in Kerala, Congress means Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. There is no need to think about any change of leadership in the party,” said K Muraleedharan MP who was former KPCC president. He said it was unfair and an act of indiscipline to speak against party leadership when the chips are down.
Kodikkunnil Suresh MP and former union minister, said that Congress workers and leaders from Kerala are united in their support for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “The KPCC has expressed its unanimous desire to have Rahul Gandhi as the president of the party,” said Suresh while speaking to reporters at the capital city on Friday.
Both the leaders (Muraleedharan and Suresh) disapproved the kind of dissidence being shown by Sashi Tharoor MP who was one of the signatories of the letter sent by a group of veteran leaders to the party’s High Command.
“Tharoor is a Global Citizen and had joined the Congress hardly a decade ago. It would be better if he focussed more on Global issues than that of Congress affairs. There are many leaders and workers in the Congress who have dedicated their lives to the party and the Nehru-Gandhi clan,” said Muraleedharan.
But Suresh was highly critical of Tharoor. “He is only a guest artist and he should confine his activities to that role,” said Suresh.
P T Thomas, Congress strongman from Kerala, said the party would stand by the stance taken by A K Antony and there was no lack of clarity in this issue. “But our leaders should restrain from attacking Sashi Tharoor who has an aura of a global leader,” said Thomas.
It is believed that despite the reservation the party had for the stance taken by Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi towards the Ram Janmabhumi issue, the Muslim League, a trusted ally of the Congress would only stand by the official stance of the Grand Old Party. “This is an internal issue of the Congress and we do not have any comments to make. But the League would stand by the decision to be taken by the Congress High Command,” said a close confidante of Syed Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal, supremo of Muslim League.