Murali's impromptu Guruvayur visit sends party in tizzy; Dissent brewing inside Congress

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anger and dissatisfaction intensified inside the state Congress after the Jumbo reorganisation, leaving the central leadership confused. With the local and assembly elections approaching, leaders are tasked with the responsibility to not allow the dissent to aggravate.

The assurances of the KPCC Secretary and DCC President to alleviate the situation ended in vain on Saturday. The anger is strong over the neglect and marginalisation of the Ezhava and the Scheduled Castes. The Orthodox Church also came forward over the leadership's neglect of Chandy Oommen.

The leadership was in a tizzy over the reports that the closing ceremony of the Sabarimala protection campaign marches led by the KPCC would be disrupted. K. Muraleedharan, the captain of the march that started from Kasaragod, reached Chengannur on Friday evening and then quietly went to Guruvayur. Even though the leader wanted to visit the temple shrine on the auspicious Thulam first day, rumours spread across political quarters that the sudden escape was a show of implicit protest over the neglect in the jumbo reorganisation.

With Muraleedharan's silence adding to the pressure, the leadership was in a state of panic. KPCC President Sunny Joseph, Working Presidents Shafi Parambil, P.C. Vishnunath, A.P. Anilkumar, and Kodikunnil Suresh constantly contacted him on their mobile phones and tried to persuade him. Finally, Murali agreed to attend the closing ceremony on Saturday at noon.

The removal of Mariapuram Sreekumar, his close confidante and previously a close aide of his father K. Karunakaran, from the post of KPCC General Secretary left K Muraleedharan dejected. The fact that the only nominee he proposed (K.P. Harris) getting ignored angered Murali. It is understood that Murali was swayed by the leadership's assurance that Mariapuram Sreekumar would be made a member of the KPCC executive committee and Harris the secretary.