Protesting against the Congress’s alleged hegemonic attitude towards some constituents of the UDF it leads, Johny Nelloor, chairman of the Kerala Congress (Jacob), a minor front partner, on Friday announced his decision to boycott the seat-sharing talks for the coming Assembly election but party’s Minister Anoop Jacob said that he would not do anything that could harm the UDF, revealing growing discord in the party.
After announcing his resignation as chairman of Oushadhi, a public sector Ayurveda enterprise, Nelloor alleged that the Congress had the other day insulted his party and him personally by not discussing anything on sharing of seats after inviting for the talks. On Thursday, he had said that he was utterly disappointed with the seat-sharing talks.
“Isn’t it an insult for me and my party when the Congress party refuses even to take up the matter of seat-sharing after inviting us for talksIJ That is what happened yesterday (Thursday). I have informed the UDF convener that I won’t take part in the talks anymore. let the Congress take a decision on seats now. We will respond after that,” said Nelloor.
The KC(J) chairman is irked over the reported Congress move to unilaterally take over from the party the Angamaly Assembly seat in Ernakulam district, which he had contested in the 2011 election. It is said that the Congress wants the seat for itself to accommodate a nominee of national vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
“In the 2011 election, they had taken over through a dramatic move the Muvattupuzha seat which I had been contesting. Instead, we were given Angamaly without asking for it. I contested there unsuccessfully but since then we have gained strength in that seat. The question of surrendering Angamaly does not arise at all,” Johny Nelloor said.
The Kerala Congress (Jacob) had contested three seats for the UDF in the 2011 election and it has demanded four seats for the coming polls. “We have asked for four seats. In the seat-sharing discussions on Thursday, the Congress did not say yes or no to this. Till now, they have not told us how many seats we will be given,” he complained.
However, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, the party’s lone member in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, said Nelloor’s resignation from Oushadhi was unwarranted and that he knew of it only from media reports, making it clear that the party chairman and its Minister were not of the same opinion about the alleged Congress strategy.
“I think there was no situation that called for his resignation... We have presented our case (to the UDF). Discussions are going o. We are hopeful of a positive outcome. We don’t want to do anything that can harm the UDF,” Anoop said.
At the same time, UDF convener PP Thankachan claimed that the KC-J had not been denied the Angamaly seat so far.
Critics of the Congress point out that it is perhaps trying to weaken the Kerala Congress groups which are often accused of being in the habit of bargaining with the UDF leadership using their regional influence. “Just see how firmly the Congress has rejected the Kerala Congress (M)’s demand for more seats,” said a senior journalist.
The KC(M), third biggest UDF constituent, has asked for 18 seats to contest in the coming election (it had contested 15 in the last polls and won nine) but the Congress has rejected the demand. Moreover, it has reportedly asked the KC(M) to return two seats, Poonjar and Kuttanad, which that party had contested in 2011.
Francis George, chairman of the recently launched KC group, Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, said that the attitude of the Congress towards Johny Nelloor and his party could be indicative of its plan to crush Kerala Congress parties. “What the Congress is doing to Nelloor is nothing but injustice,” Francis George said.