The Kerala Congress (M), a major ally of the Congress and known as a party that “splits as it grows and grows as it splits” because of its history of splits, seems to be heading for yet another split with one section finding it extremely difficult to put up with the alleged autocratic and selfish attitude of party chairman KM Mani, who had resigned as Finance Minister over allegations of taking bribe from bar owners.
According to sources, Water Resources Minister PJ Joseph, working chairman of the party and head of the so-called Joseph group within it, met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, also chairman of the Congress-led ruling UDF, on Wednesday morning to inquire about the possibility of allowing his faction of the KC(M) to remain as a separate constituent of the front.
Chandy and Mani were quick to deny reports in this regard but sources in the Joseph group asserted that the time of good relationship with the party chairman was already over. “The humiliation we suffer in the party has become unbearable. The party chairman is out to destroy us in his bid to promote and protect his son (Jose K Mani),” said a staunch Joseph-loyalist.
Joseph also denied holding any such discussions with the Chief Minister though he indirectly admitted that problems did exist in the party. “You people (the media) are publishing baseless reports,” alleged Chandy while Mani said, “There are no two groups in our party. These reports are part of a scheme of certain people to create problems in the KC(M).”
Today’s Kerala Congress (M) is an amalgamation of two separate Kerala Congress parties led by Mani and Joseph. The Kerala Congress (Joseph) which had been a constituent of the CPI(M)-led lDF for decades, had left it in 2010 when Joseph was Public Works Minister in the then lDF Government and merged with the Kerala Congress (M) led by KM Mani.
Though the relationship between the two factions had not been smooth since then, the immediate reason for the standoff is Mani’s reported refusal to allot even its sitting seats to the Joseph group in the coming Assembly polls. The Joseph group had contested four seats in the 2011 Assembly polls, but Mani is said to be insisting that only two seats could be given this time.
The KC(M) had won a total of nine seats in the 2011 Assembly election becoming the third biggest constituent of the UDF after the Congress and the Muslim league but this number came down to eight recently with former government chief whip PC George, vice-chairman of the party, going out of it following differences with Mani.
The seeds of the problems between Mani and Joseph were sown last November amidst the developments that led to Mani’s resignation over the charge that he had taken Rs1 crore as bribe from bar owners. Mani had wanted Joseph to resign along with him but the Joseph group rejected the request saying their leader need not pay for the alleged guilt of the party chairman.
Sources in the Joseph group say that a major section within it is of the opinion that they should return to the lDF but Joseph himself is averse to the plan because he does not want to be seen as an opportunist who switches sides during elections. However, certain top leaders of the Joseph group have already held discussions with the lDF leadership.
At the same time, developments within the Kerala Congress (M) indicate that a new leadership consisting of second and third level functionaries is emerging within the party. Observers are of the opinion that such a leadership may take over the Joseph group’s control if he is not willing to go for an all-out war against Mani in order to protect the group’s interests.