Cong meeting in Delhi asks State leaders to stay united

Congress leaders in Kerala urged to unite for defeating LDF in upcoming elections, with focus on anti-incumbency and party unity.

The central leadership of the Congress on Friday asked its leaders from Kerala to stay united to ensure the defeat of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the coming elections.  

“What was conveyed at the meeting was the message of unity, which was well-received by everyone. They are all confident of working together and contributing to the party’s victory in the forthcoming elections,” K.C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary (organisation), said.

The meeting, held against the backdrop of conflicting voices from various leaders and a controversy over a podcast interview given by Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, chose to draw a line under the recent ‘unfortunate developments’ and decided to move ahead unitedly.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged the State leaders to refrain from making any public statements, media briefings or social media posts that would dispirit the party workers.

“In fact, Mr. Gandhi lauded the party leaders in Kerala for their competence, but said the focus should be on cashing in on the anti-incumbency against the Left government in the State. The party high command will continue to monitor the functioning of the party in the State,” Mr. Venugopal added.  

It was a meeting in which everyone felt the need for a collective leadership, said one of the attendees.  

Despite speculation, there was no discussion about a leadership change in the party in Kerala. While some leaders had previously raised concerns about KPCC president K. Sudhakaran’s ill health, they were reportedly silent about the issue at the meeting.