THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a bold surgical strike from the Congress High Command. It came a bit late in the day. An earlier execution could, perhaps, have prevented the Congress in Kerala from facing a humiliating electoral defeat. But as the saying goes, better late than never.
It is gratifying to note that the Congress High Command, at long last, mustered the courage to deal a debilitating blow on groupism by refusing to succumb to the pressure from the dominant groups in the party’s Kerala unit on the appointment of the new Leader of the Opposition (LOP).The man of the moment is VD Satheesan, who will replace Ramesh Chennithala, who had the support of A group leader Oommen Chandy, as the new Leader of the Opposition. It was an unusual closing of ranks by the rival groups in the face of common danger of marginalization.
The High Command’s choice has been warmly welcomed by the second-line leaders and the rank and file of the party. Needless to say, Satheesan’s choice constitutes a severe setback to the Chandy-Chennithala duo, who opposed Satheesan’s ascent to the ‘throne’ till the last moment. Majority of the newly-elected 21 Congress MLAs supported Satheesan. Besides, 18 out of the 19 MPs also backed VD, as Satheesan is popularly known among the party leaders and workers. Interestingly, Satheesan received the support of a few MLAs from both the A and I groups. But what tilted the balance was the firm support extended by Rahul Gandhi and his close confidant, K C Venugopal, who rightly heeded the clamour of young leaders for a change. It is clear that Venugopal is emerging as the new power centre in the party. He played a decisive role in frustrating the game-plan of the Chandy-Chennithala axis.
It is agreed by one and all that Satheesan is the best bet for the party, which is still smarting under the debacle in the assembly elections. He can lift the party from the pit of pessimism and demoralization into which it had fallen following the shocking poll defeat. The five-time MLA from Paravur in Ernakulam district has impeccable credentials for the job: rich and varied experience, an impressive record as an MLA, organizational skill and excellent oratorical and debating skill. Even Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was all praise for Satheesan. The best comment came from former KPCC chief V M Sudheeran. Satheesan’s appointment, he said, is a decisive step towards ending ‘group extremism’ which has been the bane of the party for long. The message from the High Command is loud and clear: the party is above groups. The group generals would do well to see the writing on the wall and move in step with the times.
The million dollar question, however is: Will Satheesan get the full support of the party? Or will he meet the fate which overtook former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, V M Sudheeran, who resigned in disgust, hurt by the hostility and non-cooperation of the two groups. Already, there are indications that the sailing will not be smooth for Satheesan. True, both Chandy and Chennithala have welcomed the anointing of Satheesan for record’s sake. But it is hard to believe that Satheesan will win where Sudheeran failed. It will be a Herculean task for him to win the backing of Chandy and Chennithala, who still wield considerable clout in the party. Significantly, staunch Chandy loyalist, KC Joseph is on record that groups are a reality which cannot be wished away! That statement spells trouble for Satheesan.
Be that as it may, the challenges before Satheesan are daunting indeed. His first priority would be to dispel the despair among the party workers demoralized by the electoral defeat. Of course, the task of instilling confidence in the minds of the party’s rank and file and rebuilding the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) as a decisive force is easier said than done. But party leaders, especially the second- line leadership, believes that Satheesan has the capability to rise to the occasion and weld the party into a winning force.
There is no denying that the party’s organizational structure is in bad shape. Strengthening the organization, from the booth level to the KPCC is essential. A weak party setup has been the Congress’s Achilles Heel, right from the beginning. It simply does not have the machinery to match the awesome organizational might of the CPI(M).Moreover, party leaders must go the grassroots and win the confidence of the people. Wooing the electorate at election time and ignoring them for the next five hears won’t do. Close connectivity with the people was a major factor that contributed to the LDF’s spectacular poll victory. The Congress leaders will have to go beyond addressing press conferences, and sweat it out. There is no substitute for hard work at the grass-root level.
That Satheesan means business is evident from the right noises he has made after taking over as the new LOP. Opposition dharma is not merely opposing for opposition’s sake. The Opposition, he said, must praise the good things the Government does and point out the mistakes it makes. Challenging the Government at the drop of a hat and making it difficult for it to function are passé. Satheesan made it clear that the Opposition would extend full support to the Government in its battle against Covid-19. Harassing the Government when the people struggle to survive would only incur their wrath. In other words, Satheesan made it clear that his style of functioning would be different from that of his predecessor.
The new LOP also spelt out his priorities in his characteristically lucid style. Countering communalism is an article of Satheesan’s faith. Therefore, top priority would be accorded to ending both majority and minority communalism, which is dividing people in the State. This, Satheesan emphasized, is more important than winning elections. Majority of the people in Kerala are secular-minded. Under no circumstances will the UDF compromise with communal forces, Satheesan averred. This represents a welcome departure from the policy of adjustments and deals with the BJP and soft Hindutva followed by the Congress in the State hitherto. There will be no kow-towing to religious and community organisations either, Satheesan averred. He is one of the few Congress leaders to openly declare that he does not need the support of religious and community leaders for his political survival.
The winds of change will affect the KPCC, too. A new KPCC president and UDF convener would be appointed soon. Sensing the growing demand for change, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran has already expressed his readiness to quit. KPCC vice-president K. Sudhakaran is the front-runner for the party chief’s post. Others in the race are PT Thomas, KV Thomas and K. Muralidharan. A total revamp of the organization from the top to bottom will also be undertaken.
A job well done is half the battle won. With Satheesan at the helm, the Congress and the UDF have started the rough ride on the road to revival. It is an arduous task. But not an impossible one. The Congress has faced worse times. In 1967, the party was reduced to9 members in the State Assembly. The Congress staged a remarkable comeback. The party hopes to pull off a similar recovery under the leadership of VD (Very Determined) Satheesan. Hope sustains life. (IPA Service)
