No Ezhavas in committees that make important decisions: Severe neglect for Nadar and SC/ST; backward classes ignored in KPCC jumbo list

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The jumbo list of KPCC office bearers announced by the AICC after months of discussions in Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram has also been criticised for excluding backward castes including Ezhavas and scheduled categories. The leadership claims that all sections have been given maximum consideration in the list prepared with the local body and assembly elections in mind.

However, the general feeling of these sections is that they have never faced such severe neglect at the organisational level. Their dissatisfaction is smouldering over their lack of representation in important KPCC committees, including the one for selecting candidates for elections.

The list of 77 office bearers, including six members of the Political Affairs Committee, has been released. The number of KPCC vice presidents has been increased from five to 13, and the number of general secretaries from 28 to 58. None of the six new political affairs committee members is from the Ezhava community. Only three out of 13 vice presidents and five out of 58 general secretaries. One general secretary is from the Nadar community.

Former minister N. Sakthan, who is also the Thiruvananthapuram DCC president, has been removed from the post of KPCC vice president. Palode Ravi, who was removed from the post of DCC president due to the leak of an audio tape, has been promoted to the post of KPCC vice president. G. Subodh, who is the president of several trade unions led by INTUC, has been removed from the post of general secretary.

M Liju's wings clipped

M Liju was made the organizational general secretary while he was a member of the KPCC Political Affairs Committee. Liju was removed from the political affairs committee, although his predecessors had held both positions. M Liju was appointed as one of the 13 vice presidents as part of the current reorganisation, which led to his incapacity to attend high-level meetings as the organisation's general secretary.

Meanwhile, Shafi Parambil and PC Vishnunath, who became KSU presidents after Liju, are the KPCC working presidents. UDF convener Adoor Prakash MP is not a KPCC office bearer.

Chandy Oommen also snubbed

Chandi Oommen had publicly responded that he was removed from the post of AICC Outreach Cell convener without intimation, on the death anniversary of his father Oommen Chandy. Chandy Oommen is missing from the KPCC office bearers list also. Minority cell convener KP Harris, the sole nominee of former KPCC president K Muraleedharan, is also missing from the office bearers' list.