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Amid suspense over the next Kerala Chief Minister, Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remarking that the PM appears to have "memory loss" regarding his own party's history of leadership delays in Delhi.
Responding to the Prime Minister's jibes over the ongoing suspense in selecting the Kerala Chief Minister, Chennithala reminded him that the BJP itself had allegedly delayed its Chief Ministerial pick in Delhi for 50 days. He further asserted that Congress follows a thorough "democratic process" in its party functioning and does not entertain an "authoritarian" setup, unlike the BJP, where PM Modi and Amit Shah allgedly make all decisions in the party. "PM Modi should remember that it took him 50 days to announce the Chief Minister in Delhi. Only now have I realised that the Prime Minister seems to have memory loss. The same Prime Minister who created uncertainty in Delhi by not announcing the Chief Minister for 50 days is now criticising the Congress. The Prime Minister should not forget the past. The Indian National Congress is a democratic party, not an authoritarian one. That is why the high command said it would hold discussions with all of us and take a democratic decision. At their party, the situation is such that if PM Modi and Amit Shah decide something, that becomes everything," Chennithala told reporters. Addressing the ongoing leadership deliberations, Chennithala declared that a decision regarding the state leadership would be made "as soon as possible. He further clarified that the party is currently awaiting the final verdict from the Congress high command to finalise the Chief Ministerial face for Kerala. "Observers came to Kerala and heard the opinions of all the MLAs. Discussions were held with Sunny Joseph, VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, me, and others. Now, we are waiting for the high command's decision. A decision will be made as soon as possible," the Congress leader added. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a jibe at the party's "alleged indecision" in naming a new Chief Minister for Kerala, accusing the Congress leadership of allgedly stabbing its own leaders in the back. Hinting at the reported power struggle in Karnataka between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, PM Modi alleged that Congress-led governments are consumed by "internal disputes" rather than public service. He pointed out that despite securing a mandate in Kerala, the party has remained unable to choose its Chief Minister, leaving the state's administration in a state of paralysis. PM Modi's remarks came after the Congress-led UDF won 102 of the state's 140 seats. However, the party hasn't finalised its chief ministerial choice yet. Congress leaders VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala are seen to be key contenders for the post of Chief Minister. However, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Sunny Joseph on May 9 confirmed that the final decision regarding the next Chief Minister rests entirely with the party High Command in Delhi. Speaking to ANI, Joseph said, "It will take its own time. The high command will announce at an appropriate time... There are no barriers at all, everything is solved... It is up to the high command." (ANI)
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